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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23058619">There Is No Worthier Cause Than You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyPossums/pseuds/LuckyPossums'>LuckyPossums</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Apex Legends (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Courting Rituals, Dirty Talk, Elliott has two hands he can have a praise kink AND a humiliation kink, Elliott's decoys have personalities, Happy Ending, Humiliation, Lingerie, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Nipple Piercings, Other, Overstimulation, Pining, Praise Kink, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Spanking, but not really</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:02:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23058619</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyPossums/pseuds/LuckyPossums</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone assumed that Elliott Witt had seen every form of attention that came with being an Apex Legend, including Elliott himself. </p>
<p>That was until he started receiving a new kind of attention from another legend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bloodhound/Mirage | Elliott Witt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>239</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elliott was surprised that he had been able to reach his room after the game. Top five wasn't a bad finish by any means necessary but he always aimed to make it higher. Better results meant more fame, more money, more access to anything that could help his mother. He'd have to do better next time, it had been a little longer than he was comfortable with since he'd made champion.</p><p>It hadn't been an easy game either. Since joining the games Elliott had been shot, cut, burnt, and even once, crushed by a surprise care package. He thought it would stop phasing him by now and yet Caustic's noxious gas remained his most dreaded fear in the games. The sickening burn of the gas always left an awful aftertaste in his throat even after the games had ended.</p><p>Even where his ribs had been cracked from earlier and the wound from the bullet hole had healed there was still a soreness that remained afterwards. He liked the energy of the crowds and the aftermath of the games but it was always tempered by a fear of the weight that each interaction had. One mistake and his chance to remain a legend could be gone.</p><p>He was glad enough to separate from his teammates in the lobby of the Apex Legends quarters. Wraith and Gibraltar had suffered wounds as bad as his during the games and he didn't blame them when they gave him only a dull grunt and a wave goodbye as a send-off.</p><p>Slipping from Mirage to Elliott sometimes felt like taking off a large winter coat. When he wore the bravado that the crowds adored he could stay comfortable and warm, and it wasn't until he took off that coat that he realised how heavy it weighed and that it was so much easier to breathe without it.</p><p>When he finally reached his room he had to rest most of the weight of his body on the door while he fiddled with the key card. There was some new security protocol that the legends had been informed about but during the meeting, he had been exhausted from a long night of adjusting his tech and he'd been half asleep.</p><p>He was exhausted, he couldn't wait to reach his bed and just roll over. At this point he couldn't be bothered taking his suit off, he was satisfied enough that the zip had been tugged down far enough that his back could feel some cool air. He had felt feverish since the games had ended and he internally pleaded to any higher power that might care that Caustic hadn't been tinkering with any new long-term side effects.</p><p>He couldn't get sick now. The next game was too soon for him to take a break to recover. He just wanted to sleep so bad now.</p><p>He was starting to feel faint again and when the door clicked open he almost collapsed onto the ground. He only caught himself just in time on the doorframe just before he hit the ground.</p><p>Later he'd look back on that moment in hindsight and realise that his slip might have been the only reason in his drowsy state to notice the letter that had been tucked under his door.</p><p>Elliott let gravity take over as he slid down the now-closed door and picked up the letter sluggishly. He was used to receiving his mail through a PO box where it would normally be delivered to him. There was always fan mail, art and messages that he was eager enough to collect but he'd never had anything delivered personally.</p><p>He turned it over in his hands, itching to open it and see inside. The thick brown envelope was sealed shut by a wax seal, it wasn't a style that he'd seen used around World's Edge.</p><p>Not that many people had access to his room. Of course, there were the other legends who could reach anyone's quarters if they wanted but a letter seemed an awfully private way to do it. Maybe Crypto was sending him some kind of threat? But Elliott thought that he and the hacker had started to work better together even noticing the sly smile that had begun to appear more frequently in the games. Elliott considered Revenant for a moment. The new legend was definitely to type to throw out threats but he also got the sense that the assassin would be eager to demonstrate that up close and personal.</p><p>Then again there were plenty of workers within the legends quarters, cleaners, chefs, other workers and unfamiliar faces passing through. So it wouldn't have been impossible for someone to slip a letter under his door when he was gone.</p><p>His tired state was only making him more anxious and he began to open the letter. He winced when he realised that there wasn't a way for him to open it without breaking the seal. Guilt submerged through the weighted fog in his head at the thought of so quickly ruining something that the writer had put time into.</p><p>The first thing Elliott noticed was the thick bold writing that stood out brightly against the single page that was the same material as the envelope. It took him a long time to read through it, his mind slouching and forcing him to reread passages until he could comprehend what he was reading.</p><p>
  <em> There is no worthier cause, never a more pleasant view than being able to watch your back. I endlessly find myself admiring your laugh when you recognise your skill that I wish I could praise aloud. I wish I could ail your fears in battle so that I could hear that bright laughter again and again. Until then I will savour every smile.  </em>
</p><p>He had to reread through it several times before he realised what it clearly was. A love letter.</p><p>"That definitely rules out Rev," he murmured to himself.</p><p>There was no signature or sign to give the writer's identity away. The more he thought about it he realised that it wasn't exactly addressed to him specifically. He wondered if it could have been an accident, someone slipping the letter under the wrong door.</p><p>While he reread it once more he started to shrug out of his suit. It had said something about watching his back and he wondered if that meant they were another legend. Or it could just mean that they focused on him when watching the games. Or maybe they just thought that he had a very well-defined back, and Elliott would be inclined to agree with them.</p><p>The words rolled around his head as headed to turn off his lights and leave his bedroom mercifully dark and quiet. The letter was different, not just because it had been delivered to him personally, which when he was more clear-headed would wonder if that was a cause for concern. But also most of his fan mail made him feel different from reading this, never as personal or delicate, normally it was joyful enthusiasm.</p><p>When he finally pulled himself into his bed it wasn't long before he began to curl into himself and all the while that letter remained clutched in his sleeping hand.</p><p>-</p><p>The next game had given Elliott something to prove. Before the games had started a manager pulled him aside and hinted that there was a rising pressure on him to perform better in games with teammates he wasn't used to playing with.</p><p>Apparently, there was now a rising conception that he only performed well when matched with legends like Wraith, Lifeline or Octane. The rumour that was beginning to spread was that the better of his games only happened when he was in teams with some of the more successful legends. Privately, Elliott knew that if any looked at his record that his wins weren't flukes or thanks to stronger legends, but he also knew as well as anyone that rumours rarely cared about the truth. Sure he worked better with some legends than others, who didn't? He was more confident fighting with legends he knew outside of the games, the ones who he occasionally trained with and had learned how they react.</p><p>He knew that he didn't have the luxury to ignore rumours, public opinion was almost just as important as how well someone competed when it came to their longevity in competing. So when he had been pulled aside he'd been clued in that his team in the upcoming game wouldn't be legends that he preferred to compete with.</p><p>He was aware of all of this. Which is why he berated himself when he couldn't prevent the full-body flinch he felt when he saw that one of his teammates would be Caustic. Only last game the scientist had been the one to take Elliott out, not even giving him the distinction of finishing him off with his gun and instead let the noxious gas slowly burn in his lungs.</p><p>Now he was expected to fight alongside him. Elliott wasn't sure that he could stomach watching that same uncaring attitude during the game if Caustic caught someone and let them face that awful death.</p><p>"Have you set your sights on our landing location?" His third teammate asked over the roar of the wind around them.</p><p>He'd been so focused on Caustic that he hadn't even considered the last member of their squad, Bloodhound. Elliott had fought with the hunter before, it wasn't the same easy-going satisfaction as working with someone lively like Octane but it was a kind of reassurance instead. They had a sort of effortless competence that was easy to be drawn to. Definitely an upgrade from Caustic in Elliott's opinion.</p><p><em> Focus,  </em> he goaded to himself,  <em> don't be an idiot. Just win the game and get the money, as long as ma stays happy everything is fine. Just for once don't be an idiot Elliot.  </em></p><p>"Mirage?" Bloodhound's voice yanked him out of his head. Only the slight inflection upwards in their tone of voice through their voice modulator gave away a sense of tightness.</p><p>He forced any lingering doubts out of his head along with any anxiety that would reveal who Elliott Witt was behind Mirage. "You seem plenty eth-enu-enthusith-eager to land," he stumbled, "so it'd be my pleasure to hand over the title of jumpmaster to you."</p><p>Bloodhound didn't respond to him and instead set their eyes on the horizon. His lack of focus meant that they'd already missed some of the more resourceful areas like Capitol City and the Sorting Factory. In those crowded areas, Bloodhound and Caustic would be able to make the best use of their abilities, in the remaining open-ground areas it would be harder for them to start a strong with strong momentum.</p><p>He wondered if he had already screwed them over. That must have been why Bloodhound was silent, they had to know that he couldn't be reliable, he was only a liability-</p><p>"Landing at the Tree," they confirmed, taking a step off of the dropship into the open air with unmatched natural grace. Neither Caustic or Elliott waited for a second longer to join their trail.</p><p>Elliott's preferred fighting style had always been to use his decoys to get close enough to his enemies that they didn't notice how close he was until there was a gun in their face. But that wasn't how Caustic and Bloodhound worked. If he wanted to win he'd have to follow their lead and their more patient strategy of either keeping a distance or fortifying a strong position. He liked to play on his terms, even when he lost it was what let him stand out from the crowd. But this time he needed the winning money and the only way he was going to get that was from following his teammates lead. No one ever would have thought that humility was his style, but for his mother, he would always put himself aside.</p><p>The first round of the match was hardly exciting, they had trapped a team near the vault and hoped that they would find a vault key on them. However, they hadn't been able to find a key on them after the quick battle. Once Caustic had used his traps to cut off their only possible escape the battle fell quickly. Bloodhound was easily able to see through the thick gas with their skilled vision and the gunfire from of the opposition made it easy for Elliott to figure out where their opponents were.</p><p>Even when it meant that he had a waste a bit more ammo from his wingman to break their knockdown shields before he could finish them off it was worth it considering that the alternative would be for them to be finished off slowly by Caustic's gas.</p><p>Despite the lack of a loot key their opponents' loot wouldn't go to waste. Elliott was glad to find a better scope on his wingman and a receive a full stock of healing items.</p><p>He found that falling into the arena and facing off against another squad always felt like he was doing it for the first time. He always held that same uncertainty when he fought for the first time until he could prove to himself that he could hold his own ground. And that still managed to surprise him every time because it made him feel like he could live up to the identity of 'Mirage'.</p><p>Once that first squad had been taken down he always found his footing in that feeling of invincibility. At least, until a well-placed sniper shot, a lucky thermite grenade or Pathfinder's boxing gloves would knock him off his pedestal.</p><p>He expected by now that there wouldn't be anything worthwhile left in the last death box since his other teammates had already gone through it. Yet he watched while Bloodhound seemed to pause in front of the last death box unmoving with a stillness that came with a mastery of stealth.</p><p>Elliott paused along with the hunter, they had been still for long enough that he wanted to say something but he also didn't want to risk bothering them. Eventually, he heard them call, "body shield - level three."</p><p>Now that was something that he could use, in the back of his head he felt faintly embarrassed that he could have entirely skipped out from getting it considering that he was prepared to not spare a glance at the last death box.</p><p>It only took him a moment to reach the death box which they were still rifling through and taking a few syringes. He reached out to equip the body shield before he took one last look at his console and frowned when he focused on Bloodhound's icon. Caustic was marked as already having a level three body shield but he noticed that like him, Bloodhound also had a level one body shield.</p><p>"Ah you go ahead a take the shield," he told them, "my buddies and I know how to stay out of trouble."</p><p>"I have no need of it," they said firmly. Elliott knew that they valued their privacy but that mask could be unnerving as hell sometimes.</p><p>Elliott didn't have to try hard to imagine what that meant. Probably that they thought that a better body shield could keep him alive long enough that Elliott wouldn't be a liability to them.</p><p>He tried not to let any doubts slip into his tone as he said, "You could probably make better use of it than I would," he continued, "let me be a gentleman here and show you some manners."</p><p>Bloodhound was silent once again and Elliott was glad that it seemed they weren't going to try to argue with him. He was ready to leave behind the death box and follow in the direction that Caustic was heading when their voice caught his attention once more.</p><p>"You were the one to defeat this opponent," they reasoned. For a moment Elliott thought that their words had come out rushed in the same way he might sound when he felt desperate to fill the gaps in silence. "The wingman is a difficult weapon to master and your victory over your opponents is proof of your skill. As the one who defeated this opponent, it would be unfair of me to take the spoils which belong to you."</p><p>Elliott was tempted to stay and argue with them but Caustic had already marked a new location for loot and didn't seem concerned with waiting for them. Besides, he thought that if he opened his mouth after Bloodhound had complimented him then he would say something stupid.</p><p>In the moment that it took him to equip the body shield Bloodhound had already begun to move towards Caustic's location. "Th-Thank you!" He called out to them but if there was any sign that they heard him they didn't show it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For some competitors, the aftermath of a match was just as vicious as the match itself. Elliott had noticed that Bangalore had appeared more drained when dealing with journalists than she would when emerging after a fight against three squads. He didn't blame her, he'd seen how they had pressed her for answers about her personal life which always seemed to come back to her brother who had been missing in action.</p><p>He had spoken to her about it once, thought the two of them might be able to empathise with missing their siblings. The whole time he talked Bangalore had stared at him like she was waiting for the punch line and had seemed unnerved when it never came. It was an awkward conversation that didn't bring either of them any catharsis and had only cemented in Elliott's head that she would only ever see him as a trickster. As Mirage.</p><p>It wasn't always an easy act to keep up. But after the win that Elliott and his team had pulled off, he knew he'd be forced into the spotlight, and that was where Mirage worked best. He wasn't jealous of Caustic and Bloodhound, who had been able to abandon the hoard of journalists and paparazzi early on after the match had been won. Because despite the pressure of staying confident and keeping people happy, it all felt like it meant something that he never knew when he wasn't Mirage.</p><p>When he first entered the games he hadn't even thought about his popularity and fame. Then he started growing more popular and the games were no longer just a way to earn money for his mother's expensive treatments. The spotlight gave him a chance to feel real like he had never felt before. Interviews, questions, autographs, and thousands of peoples' interests kept him excited to take part in game after game.</p><p>But he knew that it only ever lasted as long as he had their attention. When the night's sponsorship parties wound down and he found himself walking alone back to the lodges was when the loneliness set in.</p><p>He was used to the sudden mood drop he felt when was alone. And recently it hadn't just been loneliness it had been <em>neediness </em>. It was a kind of feeling that just made him feel useless and ridiculous. And telling himself to get over it only made him feel pitiful. And he hated feeling pitied when there wasn't anyone to comfort him.</p><p>When he reached the lodges, it was awfully late - or was it too early? - for any of the staff to be working. For a brief moment, he considered trying to find out if someone else was awake. Wraith would probably bite his head off if he tried to wake her up, he'd learned how much she appreciated her beauty sleep the hard way.</p><p>He was definitely tipsy - probably drunk - and he knew that he would regret it if he let someone see him like this. Dependent, stupid, needy. He knew he probably wouldn't feel any better in the morning but right now sleep felt like a good option to escape everything.</p><p>But that option left as soon as he reached the elevator. It was late enough at night that the elevators needed key card access while there was no staff to monitor their use. He fumbled through his belongings for at least five minutes before he realised that he didn't have his key card on him.</p><p>He only realised how screwed he was when a memory of him flirting with someone at the party rose in his mind. He gave them his key card instead of his number in a moment of drunken stupidity. He wanted to scold himself but he was more concerned with how he was going to sleep tonight. If he didn't have his key card he wouldn't be able to get into his room even if he climbed the stairs to get to his floor.</p><p>He considered once again finding another legend's room and staying with them for the night. Maybe Octane was up this late. <em> You'd just be bothering them </em> , he thought drowsily,  <em> nobody should have to deal with your mistakes except for you.  </em></p><p>There weren't any nearby hotels in the area that he could try either. He'd just have to grin and bear it this time. He wasn't truly thinking half as much as he should have but his legs ended up taking him to one of the recreation rooms for the legends a few floors above. Compared to the other rooms this one lacked a lot of the appliances that most legends looked for so he knew it would be mostly empty. Nobody would have to see him or deal with him when he woke up looking like a mess.</p><p>He made his way over to longest couch he could find and ungraciously landed on it. It still wasn't quite large enough that he could get comfortable or straighten his legs out fully but he was exhausted enough that it didn't bother him.</p><p>It wasn't until he woke up in the morning that the discomfort of the night fully set in. He winced at the uncomfortable weight that had set into his shoulders and back during the night and there was a numb aftertaste in his mouth like he'd tried to lick one of Wattson's electric fences.</p><p>What surprised him was that he didn't feel cold despite that the way that the morning air of World's Edge tended to sink into his room. He didn't remember getting up at any point of the night but he must have because he didn't remember having a blanket covering him before he went to sleep. There hadn't been any in the room either. So he had no idea where the blanket came from in the first place.</p><p>He rubbed the thick material between his figures while he tried to rouse his mind to remember more details of last night. However, he was stuck thinking about the softness of the blue wool that weighed down on his body in a comforting and grounding way. The next thought that came to his mind was nowhere near as comforting.</p><p>Someone had come in then they had seen him. Apex Champion, Mirage, celebrity, curled up on a couch drunk and completely pathetic. Someone was out there probably laughing at him, or worse he thought, they were pitying him. He had to get out of here, find somewhere safe, like his room and try to forget about it.</p><p>The surge of anxiety forced him up and he flinched at the way his head didn't appreciate the sudden movement. But the action kept him still enough to survey the rest of his surroundings. That was when he noticed that the coffee table had been tugged closer to the couch and was no longer vacant. Instead, there was a silver-coloured thermos accompanied by a plate with a stack of sweets.</p><p>Though the item that was impossible to ignore was a piece of paper where the only words written on it was:</p><p>
  <em> Your victory was well-earned. I hope that this small gift may bring you some comfort.  </em>
</p><p>Later in the day, Elliott would notice that the writing style was identical to that of the letter he had received days before. But right now he was thumbing the paper and gazing at the food before him. Before he had a look at the sweetly looking cookies he uncapped the thermos and took a whiff. Warm steam greeted him happily along with a smell that reminded him of chocolate but certainly far more richer. He took a small sip and was pleasantly surprised by the warm and smoothly syrupy drink that quelled his headache a bit.</p><p>The cookies were certainly interesting and something that Elliott didn't remember seeing before. They were made out to be shaped like stars and snowflakes and judging by the strong smell of cinnamon they would taste lovingly sweet. He didn't try one yet, he wasn't sure that he could handle so much of something so sweet in the morning so he continued to nurse the warm drink instead.</p><p>The lovely warmth chewed away at the worries that had ailed him when he had first woken up. He did start to wonder who had come across him, glancing at the clock it was still early enough that plenty of legends would still be sleeping off the excitement of the match from yesterday. It might have been some of the staff since there was food involved, he knew that the cleaners and cooks were some of the earliest to rise and may have come across him.</p><p>But the personal touch kept him wondering. It wasn't any food that he recognised being made around World's Edge before, even the drink wasn't something he recognised. To Elliott, it all felt personal in some way. In a way that was different from his family or from the myriad of exes who had only noticed him because they knew him first and foremost as Mirage.</p><p>This made him feel like he was cherished. And he wouldn't deny that he liked that feeling.</p><p>There was still a worry in the back of his mind that someone would come in and see his tired self so he began to force himself to stand up and let the blood properly circulate around his body.</p><p>Besides, if someone came in now then Elliott would feel that he had to offer some of his sweets. And so instead, he was perfectly content to take the drink and cookies to his room to enjoy in his own company.</p><p>-</p><p>There was a common misconception that Elliott was lazy but he also wasn't surprised that it existed either. His aloof attitude and humour made most people think that he didn't try too hard or had a natural skill that he didn't care to refine. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Like any other legend in their right mind, he trained as much as he was capable of and in the meanwhile, he tended to his tech for improvements. Sure he liked his free time here and there but it wasn't like he had spare time to pass around.</p><p>To Elliott, the practice range was a welcome comfort most days. He liked scoping out the new competitors and seeing the ones he knew pick up new tricks to test out. However, the flurry of his team's win from a few days ago had left him without the want for company and so he had set out to the practice range in the early morning where he hoped that it would be much quieter.</p><p>When he arrived at the range he was pleased to see that there was only one other legend, Bloodhound, firing by the gun range. Initially, he had been more nervous around Bloodhound than he'd openly admit but since their winning match, he had grown a better appreciation of the legend.</p><p>He had seen their skill and masked-persona at first and thought that they were like Revenant or Caustic as in the 'don't get in my way' type. But they had surprised him in the same way that Wraith had, they cared for their teammates, their 'félagi fighters' as they said. And they showed honour and skill when they fought that Elliott had not first imagined would come from the hunter. Especially when he had seen them enter that state of the bestial hunter which he had thought was certainly…something.</p><p>Practice ranges didn't normally have the respawn technology activated and Bloodhound wore a sense of concentration that he recognised on seasoned fighters like Bangalore. He'd once made the mistake of not announcing his presence before he got close to Bangalore at a practice range and had almost caught a shot between the eyes for his mistake. He didn't want to try his luck making the same mistake with Bloodhound.</p><p>So he called out a sort of gravely, "good morning!" and was glad enough that their immediate reaction wasn't to shoot them. Instead, they set down their sentinel and gave him a brief half-wave half-salute in his direction.</p><p>Elliott planned to start working on his aim with energy-type weapons and stay focused, the kickback as well as their scattered pattern made them less reliable despite their high damage output. He'd been finding L-Star's more commonly at the start of each game and it was beginning to grate on him that he could barely use one. Really, that had been his plan for training today, focus and learn and don't think of anything else.</p><p>However eventually, the countless kickback started to wear at his arms and as he fell into a rhythm he found himself losing interest. But he was certainly gaining interest in the other legend a few dummies away. It was hard not to notice that Bloodhound had been practising a more refined skill, knife-throwing. It wasn't just hard not to notice, it was hard not to watch because they certainly knew how to create an atmosphere of concentration and power around themselves that was enthralling.</p><p>So naturally, he made the obvious choice to get closer to them.</p><p>They seemed unphased as he set back down his weapon and moved over to the closest dummy by theirs and picked up the closest weapon, a peacekeeper, and continued his target practice. However, as he did he made each reload and placing of each new shell in the gun a tedious and long process so that he could watch what they were doing out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>He began to pick up on their skill and style with each throw of one of the small knives that accompanied them. Sometimes a little flip beforehand which flowed into an overarm throw, or maybe they would take their time to line up a specific shot before striking as quick as a viper. Head, heart, throat, stomach, ankles. All targets that they hit over and over again with practised ease.</p><p>It was in one of those moments when Elliott had just fired the gun, not a great shot but he had been focused on Bloodhound's last throw of their knife, he was reloading his peacekeeper when he noticed that the hunter's attention was directly on him. The problem was that he hadn't decided whether that was a good or bad thing.</p><p>"Something I can help you with?" He asked when they didn't make any further move.</p><p>They huffed, "the opposite perhaps."</p><p>Elliott watched as they tucked away one of the knives which they had been repeatedly throwing and retrieving before striding closer to where he stood. They turned towards the dummy which Elliott had been shooting and surveyed the area. If Elliott had aimed to impress the hunter he knew that he certainly wouldn't have been successful. The area around dummy had probably taken more damage than the target judging by the kicked up earth around it. Elliott guessed that someone as keen as they were could tell that he had completely missed many of the shots. The ones that had made it often only grazed the target as opposed to the precise shots of the chest and head that he would have focused on had he not been distracted.  </p><p>"You are used to a lighter gun perhaps?" They wondered aloud, "Or is it more difficult to judge the shot's landing without a precision choke?"</p><p>Elliott knew that he should say or demonstrate that he had no problem firing with a peacekeeper, it was a bulkier weapon than he would have liked but hell if it wasn't reliable. But instead, he couldn't stop himself from saying, "I'm not sure, maybe something's off with my stance?"</p><p>They paused from a moment and he wondered if they were considering going back to their practice but instead, they made a gesture towards the dummy.</p><p>Realising what they wanted Elliott began to fall into a shooting stance, the one he knew would marginalize kickback as best it could and steady his arms for the shot. However, before he could reach any stance that they might recognise as a professional shooter's, he changed his mind relaxed into something that he might have used the first few rounds of the Apex Games.</p><p>They didn't say anything at first so he fired the gun, knowing that it wasn't at the right height and the barrel wasn't at the right angle for it to hit anything substantial. Only the furthest spray of the fire reached the dummy, in a game it would have barely thrown off an opponent.</p><p>Next to him, Bloodhound made a clicking sound that couldn't mean anything except for disappointment. They beckoned with their hand and Elliott passed over the peacekeeper without a second thought and gave them some room. It only took them a moment to fall into a professional stance and fire, knocking the dummy straight down. Seeing them practise with knives had been like a personal and almost tender touch that he liked to watch. But he could also admit to himself that seeing them behind a weapon<em> that  </em>powerful was just as impressive to watch.</p><p>"Did you see what I did differently?" They asked him while they handed him back the weapon.</p><p>He lifted the gun and fell into a stance once more, this time it was certainly better than the first time but he still let a slackness into his stance that he knew they would pick up on. He let them circle around his form and comment on small adjustments to change. Occasionally, they would only gesture or nudge the back of his shoe to let him know to bend his knees more, but when they reached giving him tips about holding the gun itself Elliott didn't let them off so easily.</p><p>"You need to keep your left hand further down the barrel to steady it," they told him again after he had failed to keep his left hand in the correct positioning.</p><p>He shifted so that his hand was now too far down the barrel which forced himself to lean forward and lose much of the balance which he had gained from their adjustments to his form through small tips. Bloodhound only exhaled, by this point Elliott knew that they must have been getting frustrated. There was a growing gnawing feeling inside him that made him feel guilty for treating them like this. He could tell that they valued their practice and he was now taking their time away from them without any good reason. What was he even doing? Annoying them for that specialised attention they gave only in the games to opponents, was that what he wanted?</p><p>Again they moved towards him and at first, he assumed that they wanted the weapon but instead they used their hand to set it beneath his left hand and position it along the barrel of the gun. "Keep it there," they commanded, keeping their hand in position.</p><p>With their other hand, they moved around him and lifted his elbow so that it was no longer slack and left his gun angled for a better shot towards the dummy. Directly behind him, Elliott was able to feel just a brief exhale of their voice and passing breath through their mask. And with them there it was impossible for him not to think about what their voice might be like without the modulator of their mask. His scarf is settled comfortably on his neck but Elliott half-cursed himself for wearing this morning because otherwise he might have been able to feel their every breath and exhale.</p><p> </p><p>Their adjustments finished too quickly for Elliott to be satisfied with properly and when they were finished they took a simple step back from him. He waited a moment, looking back towards them and was partly disappointed that he couldn't tell anything from their appearance. Nonetheless, he obliged them, the shot that he took was as perfect as anyone should be able to get.</p><p>Beside him, they made a humming noise that made Elliott's feet want to stick to the earth of the practice range and never leave as long as they were still here.</p><p>"Better?" He asked them with a grin that he hoped wouldn't lead them to catch onto him.</p><p>"In untrained hands, it is a simple but crude weapon," they observed, "it only takes the right knowledge to make it into a weapon worthy of a champion and yourself."</p><p>The praise made him want to preen but instead, he squashed it down deep inside him to keep for another time to play over in his mind. The smile doesn't drop from his face as he empties the rest of the shotgun shells, each shot led them to leave him a nod or a hum in appreciation.</p><p>Eventually, they set up close by him with a G7 scout and they practised together in silence but he knew that their attention did not leave him even then. Each time that he began to slouch or the barrel of their gun began to droop they use their hand to nudge back upwards. And Elliott was starting to notice that solid and firm strength to their hands that made him wish more than anything to see them tear off those gloves.</p><p>It wasn't until his body began to tremble from the repeated shock of each shot that he noticed them putting away their weapon and collecting their knives. He gave a small frown but when he finally put down his weapon he only then noticed the exhaustion that had started spreading through his muscles. The two had been in the range for far longer than he normally would have and when he glanced back he noticed that Wraith and Wattson had begun descending the hill and heading towards their way.</p><p>He looked back at them once more and realised that they were going to be leaving very soon if he didn't say anything. "Uh, hey!" He called over to catch their attention. "Do you want to meet up sometime?"</p><p>Before they had been tucking knives back into their pouches on their person. Though even then Elliott had no idea how they could still fit that many knives. Now however, they had gone completely still and stared at him.</p><p>"For s-something like this?" He continued and he cringed a bit when he heard how distant he sounded. "Practice range, learn some tips and I can teach you stuff too. Cause I'm pretty good myself too. Not that you need any help you're really spa-spet-specta- really good at this but if you wanted-"</p><p>They raised a hand in the air and he paused immediately. He had said too much again, he always says too much, he should've kept his mouth shut or been smarter. Why can't he just keep his mouth shut sometimes-</p><p>"Very well," they answered, "Should you seek me out know that I practice here early each morning."</p><p>"Oh," he said stumped, "def-dif- sure, sure, I'll see you…Around then?"</p><p>They gave a short nod before resuming collecting their gear and only gave him a wave goodbye before they set off once more. That left him feeling plenty satisfied, he wasn't going to try tease or coerce or get their attention as they had just then, well at least not a lot he promised himself.</p><p>Behind him, Wraith who had now reached where he was gave him a knock on the back of the head, "what do you have to be so smiley about?"</p><p>"Can't I just be happy it's a beautiful morning?" He said, turning to her and rubbing the back of his head.</p><p>"Not likely in this weather," she groaned. She was already heading towards the weapons rack grumbling about how cold mornings always were here. Elliott couldn't agree with her, not when he didn't feel cold at all right now.</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>Over the next few days, the gifts come in full and Elliott still had no idea who left them. Once it was a note and small chocolate tucked into his favourite mug that he knew that no one else used in one of the recreational rooms with a kitchen attachment.</p><p>Once or twice he tried asking kitchen staff if they knew a recipe for the kind of cookies he had received or if anyone had seen any staff in particular passing by his room from time to time. So far he had come up empty and somehow he knew that it wasn't going to change unless it was on their terms.</p><p>In the meanwhile, there had been a seasonal break between the games but that didn't mean that any of the legends have stayed docile. Normally, during this time Elliott would have headed home straight away to enjoy the break and work on new tech. However, he had found himself staying around the lodges for longer than he had anticipated along with the other legends. Almost all of them stayed around during this festive period, however, Gibraltar had already left to go home with his boyfriend.</p><p>Elliott had to keep reminding himself to organise travel to head home but he had been putting it off for a while. Next week, he always promised himself, by the end of next week he would finally organise travel back home.</p><p>When on break from the games he found it easier to be around the other legends. Without the pressure of the games, it was easier to see them as people, sometimes friends, instead of competitors or just people who had killed him before.</p><p>He spent time letting Ajay take him to the best-hidden places in town to find food and fashion. He went to parties and clubs and wherever there were excitement and drinks with Octane. And every morning he woke up painfully early to practice with Bloodhound.</p><p>In the offseason, he began to practice with them his weak points that he wasn't used to. They taught him how to better curve his arc-stars to make the best use of each shot. Close combat was another tool they practiced together, it was rare enough to be left without a weapon in the games but there were other important things to learn. Bloodhound helped teach him that trick that he had seen Bangalore use, a twist of a gun from the opponent to the reverse fate. It was a tricky disarmament technique but one that he knew was useful.</p><p>And then there were other ways of practicing close combat and he would never admit it to <em> anyone  </em>but once or twice he let himself fall into a position that would let him easily be thrown to ground pinned. And each time he didn't stop them when they threw him over their shoulder or pinned him by his shoulder. </p><p>Elliott showed them a trick or two as well, how far a bullet could fly with any pistol before it began to drop and a trick with attaching a thermite to an arc star to stick to any surface. He was almost certain that they already knew everything that he showed them but had decided to humour him for whatever reason.</p><p>Still, even though every morning they wished him a good day once before he left the training range he never saw them outside of practice now that the games were on break. Some legends held group dinners that he knew Bloodhound had been invited to but never came to. Movie nights watching terrible romantic comedies that Wattson picked out and the poker games that Bangalore liked to hold.</p><p>And he had noticed that it gave those events a sense of…incompletion? He ended up putting it down to curiosity. He wanted to see what they would look like outside of the games and the fighting. Sure, part of him was just curious to see what they'd look like, casual clothes, maybe they'd wear something traditional or maybe it would be something more modern. Maybe they wouldn't wear their mask and wouldn't that be something.</p><p>Even though they received every invitation they never came by even for a moment. Elliott just wished that he knew whether they never came by out of disinterest or dislike. He could only hope that it wasn't the latter.</p><p>Those thoughts had stayed rattling around his head during one of their morning practices. As much as he enjoyed those early morning sessions he loathed the process of forcing his body awake and had often found himself sluggish during their practices. So he had been grateful that morning when he had woken up and opened his door to a thermos filled with that same syrupy dark cocoa taste that he been gifted before.</p><p>He didn't take it back to his room to finish it and instead had carried it towards the practice range. It had a lovely sugary taste to it that woke him up after a few sips and kept him awake enough to appreciate Bloodhound's skill during their practice.</p><p>They had taken a few moments for a short break while they both caught their breath. While he finished off the rest of the thermos they were keeping their eyes on the horizon. At first, he couldn't tell what they were looking for but a second later he spotted a black spot on the horizon.</p><p>Elliott gave a small smile when he watched their wave of a hand that ushered the Raven onto their arm. They slowly sat themselves down next to him, as if not to startle the bird. He noticed that in his beak was a long strand of something silver, the chain of a necklace that he held like a worm.</p><p>Bloodhound made a tutting noise and stroked underneath the bird's beak for a moment before they gently tugged the chain from him. They seemed torn from wanting to continue giving their pet attention and holding onto the chain.</p><p>Wordlessly, Elliott tugged the end of the chain from their hand and kept it warm in his fist. He hid a small smile as he watched that careful and wholly specific attention from Bloodhound focus itself on their pet. It was easy to see how they had created this special bond with the raven.</p><p>They paused for a second before they looked at him and drifted their arm along with their bird towards him. They inclined their arm upwards and asked, "would you like to pet him?"</p><p>"Huh?" he mumbled slightly before giving a short nod, not very certain of what to say.</p><p>He reached out slowly towards the bird, he wanted to be sure that he didn't startle it. He looked at them for another moment like he wanted some kind of guidance for how he should do it but they gave him no further gesture.</p><p>Awkwardly, he lifted his hand above the bird's head and gave a few gentle pats on its head and waited for a reaction but the raven only bobbed a bit in response.</p><p>Bloodhound chuckled a bit and moved the raven a bit closer, "it's not a dog Elliott, and he probably won't peck you."</p><p>"Probably?"</p><p>"Probably," they agreed, "try the chin."</p><p>Elliott reached out once again and brushed his thumb back and forth beneath the chin of the raven. It made an odd noise and began to preen under his attention which he took as a good sign and continued.</p><p>"I don't think I know this little one's name," Elliott said. This was different from their morning practices where they admired each other's mutual skill. It was like they were building something new, something that he liked and could only uselessly hope that they did too.</p><p>They gave that reverberating hum that Elliott liked pulling from them. A hum that he heard whenever he landed a particularly perfect ordnance or when they landed one of those perfect headshots.  </p><p>"His name is Artur," they replied, "We have not been separated since he was first born."</p><p>"He's very well-trained," he admired. He hoped that was the right thing to say. With his free hand, he opened his palm and dangled the necklace in front of Artur who's tiny eyes focused on the shiny jewellery. "And he has a taste for jewellery?"</p><p>"He will gather anything that shines," they answered, "a product of his spoiled upbringing no doubt."</p><p>He laughed a bit at the image of the mighty hunter doting on their pet and handing them tiny treats. "What do you do with all it?"</p><p>"Many of the little treasures he keeps in his nest," they considered and leaned forward with their free hand to curl their finger around the chain he was holding. "But he seems content to let you keep this one."</p><p>He made a cooing sound to the black bird which Artur continued to preen at. He withdrew his attention for a second and the bird gave a short squawk of indignation. Bloodhound resumed petting him in Elliott's place, stroking on the crown of his head.</p><p>Elliott fiddled with both ends of the chain, eventually finding the clasp and hooking it behind his neck. It hung loosely on his neck but neither was it very long, it wasn't the sort of thing he wore often but it felt comfortable enough that it wasn't a bother.</p><p>"I don't think it looks half-bad," he said. He sort of wanted a reflective surface around him right now, "What do you think?"</p><p>He meant it as a teasing and rhetorical question intended for Artur but he was surprised instead when Bloodhound answered, "you wear it well."</p><p>"Oh! Well, yeah, I know that, of c-course I look great…All the time," he rambled while he tugged on the chain.</p><p>They only nodded in response and lifted Artur upwards to the sky, the bird took the silent cue and stretched its wings before taking off into the open air. It had reached that part in the morning when the practice range was receiving company and Bloodhound would begin to pack up as their practice drew to a close.</p><p>However, before they could leave, those rattling thoughts of Bloodhound's absences at those dinners and movie nights and times returned to his mind. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it until he got an answer from them. And now he had a chance, definitely a foolhardy chance that would be hardly worth it when he got that disappointing but inevitable answer.</p><p>Still, he didn't stop himself before he let it slip out, "you know some of the legends, and me as well I guess, we're doing this party thing to celebrate the holidays. Anyway, my point is that there's only a few of us going to be there and if you're also going to be around the area you could stop by. If you want."</p><p>He knew that they would say no. After all, they had never shown any interest in seeing the other legends outside of the games. Except for Elliott that is. But when Elliott looked back on their interactions he had always been the one to ask for more. He tried not to cringe at that thought. That maybe Bloodhound's acceptance had only been politeness rather than any real interest.</p><p>They only stared at him, stretching the inevitable result into a long awkward moment for both of them. Elliott was about to tell them that it wasn't important when they said simply, "very well."</p><p>"S-So does that mean you'll come?"</p><p>They shrugged their shoulders in a 'so-so' gesture and answered, "I…Will take it into consideration."</p><p>Elliott couldn't ask for anything more than that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I did a little research into deserts for this and the cookies that Elliott gets are called rosette cookies. They're really pretty looking so I recommend looking them up!</p><p>As always, thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It didn't take long for newcomers to appreciate the beauty of World's Edge. Sure pollution had become a more prominent problem with Hammond Robotics' increasing control and the weather seemed like it came and went by a roll of a dice. But what anyone could appreciate was the people and the culture. A mish-mash of vibrant cultures which had transfused together over the years and had created a new culture from the old ones.  </p>
<p>This holiday season was the perfect example of that. Elliott had heard that in the past there had been a dozen holidays around this time of year that had slowly fused over the generations until it became the holiday it was today.  </p>
<p>Elliott had spent most of the day setting up for the party along with some of the other legends. Everyone had felt Wattson's enthusiasm throughout the days leading up to this. She had shyly admitted at one point that she hadn't taken the chance to celebrate the festive season since her father had passed away.   </p>
<p>Out of the legends, Wattson was the only one who was native to World's Edge who had properly celebrated the holiday before and she was completely and utterly specific in regards to where everything went. Lifeline and Pathfinder had been helping set up for the party along with him. He could even tell that Wraith was looking forward to the holiday, she hadn't been around to decorate the lodge but she had followed Wattson's orders to pick up the holidays foods she wanted. </p>
<p>No one knew what Crypto had planned. Elliott had heard in passing that Octane had offered him an invitation to the party but the hacker hadn't given him any response. Elliott hadn't heard any news from Bloodhound in the meanwhile. The next morning he had arrived at the practice range and had noticed that he had arrived earlier than them, something that rarely happened. He had spent the morning sitting down with his hands in his lap and had waited for them until he was sure that they wouldn't come.    </p>
<p>He'd spent the rest of the week's mornings like that. He ridiculed himself for the choice that he'd made. He must have finally pushed too hard and they had backed off. Instead of embarrassing him they must have chosen to just leave him alone. He had asked around to see if anyone else had seen the hunter but they no one had a clue. Elliott didn't know what holidays they might celebrate and could only assume that they had left the Apex facilities.  </p>
<p>There was still a slight comfort that had remained despite their disappearance. The little gifts that often appeared around him hadn't stopped they'd only grown. In between the small chocolates that had never tasted better, there was always notes. Sometimes they were only short, little wishes for him to have a nice day. And other times they were something completely deeper. There was line after line about his smile and even more about his laugh.   </p>
<p>Sometimes he considered that this was sort of weird since he still had no idea who it was. He had mentioned it to Wraith when he was at a loss of what to do. She told him to get a restraining order. He told her that she was too cynical. But he didn't know who to go to for this sort of advice. Definitely not Pathfinder. And he knew that Ajay had a soft spot for gossip and that Wattson couldn't keep a secret to save her life.   </p>
<p>He had to admit that he sort of liked keeping it as a secret. It felt special that way. Little letters and notes about tiny things about him that he thought were insignificant and had hardly thought of seriously. The way he quirked his brow or tended to kick his feet at the dirt when stayed in one place for too long, a funny habit which he never had programmed into his decoys.    </p>
<p>At first, it had felt like a small pickup at the start of the day. Then the scarf had arrived.    </p>
<p>He had a scarf or two that he liked to throw on during the games. Even though afterwards they could heal all sorts of wounds they either couldn't repair fabric or didn't care to. Some games left bullet holes in his scarf that he'd patched up with staples, thread, and duct tape but eventually he would have to replace them.    </p>
<p>Then one afternoon he had returned to his apartment and had found a neat cardboard box outside his door with a scarf inside to greet him. It wasn't the kind of scarf that he would ever be able to wear during the games. The thick wool material that it was made of reminded him of the blanket that had been draped over him that one morning. It would be too heavy to wear during the games and the material would soak up any blood that it came into contact with.   </p>
<p>And Elliott had a sense that the person who made it would have known this. It wasn't a practical gift but instead, it was something to wear in his own time. It was impossibly warm, perfect for the cold season that was arriving and reminded him of that feeling of being cherished that he wrapped himself up in every time he received a gift.    </p>
<p>He chose to wear that scarf the night of the party, leaning back from the eruption of bubbles and champagne when Wattson uncorked the first bottle of the night. They'd decked out one of the emptier floors of the lodges with decorations. Most of the floor was filled with recreation rooms though they'd had to move some gym equipment to a different floor themselves since many of the staff weren't around during the holiday season to help. Getting that treadmill up that flight of stars certainly hadn't been Elliott's finest moment but he'd managed it.  </p>
<p>Even Gibraltar had swung by earlier with his boyfriend to see everyone for a moment before returning back home. And much to Elliott's delight Wattson had found a way to stuff Wraith into a red and green outfit that hurt to look at. He still wasn't sure how the engineer had managed that but he was grateful that she did.  </p>
<p>He hadn't spotted Bloodhound anywhere as the night continued though he wasn't surprised. He'd already accepted that they wouldn't be coming tonight and that they were long gone from the lodges by now. Right now he just had to hope that they would still be returning the next season and that he might still have a chance to keep those morning practice sessions.   </p>
<p>"Aren't I normally meant to be the letdown of the party?" Wraith piped up beside him and he jumped a little in his spot.    </p>
<p>"S-shit," he fumbled in surprise, "I'm fine, I'm here, party animal Elliott here."   </p>
<p>She just frowned which made him laugh a touch since it made the bells on her outfit shake with sound. The corners of her mouth tipped up slightly, "you're not even trying to talk to any of the new meat."   </p>
<p>"I'm just comfortable," he said lightly, "maybe I just want to hang around my favourite space-time phasing assassin."  </p>
<p>"You have a second favourite assassin hanging around?" She asked amused while she twirled her glass of champagne in her hand.    </p>
<p>His eyes scanned the room, searching, once more before he grumbled, "definitely not one hanging around now."  </p>
<p>"Elliott Witt gets rejected," she said with a low whistle, "never thought I'd live to see the day."   </p>
<p>"Not just rejected, pretty sure I freaked them out," he groaned, "now you know where to put the blame if Bloodhound doesn't show up next season."   </p>
<p>She frowned, "wait, Bloodhound? You're joking."   </p>
<p>"I kind of might have asked them to come by a week ago and they disappeared-"  </p>
<p>"Mirage-"   </p>
<p>"And I thought that it seemed kind of normal cause it felt kind of alright and stuff when it happened but no one's seen them since-"  </p>
<p>"Hey-"  </p>
<p>He rubbed the back of his head and continued, "and they pra-prol-probal- think that I'm weird or clingy and I want to say sorry but it's not like I know where to find them cause-" </p>
<p>"Elliott shut up for a second," she snapped and set down her drink. With her hand, she grabbed his chin and turned his face towards the entrance near the elevators. "Look dumbass." </p>
<p>He blinked for a moment but not any longer because it was impossible to miss Bloodhound. It was hard to tell at a distance but they were definitely dressed differently. Not casually, their clothes were still similar to what they wore in the games but many of the pouches and layers that normally decorated them had been taken off. By no definition was it the festive party attire like Wraith or Wattson wore but there was no way Elliott was taking his eyes off of them.  </p>
<p>He turned back to look at Wraith but she had already collected her drink and was waving him off while she headed over to where Wattson and Lifeline were. He didn't waste any time reaching Bloodhound near the elevator. He noticed that they wore a different mask to their regular one that was more simplistic in design. Over their dressed down uniform was a long dark green coat that when they folded their arms moved to cover their form.   </p>
<p>"You made it!" He called out and watched their mask turn towards him.  </p>
<p>They gave that short half-wave and half-salute that always made him smile when they saw him. Elliott gave them another once over and noticed that in their hand they were clutching a small dark case that was half slid up their sleeve like they were trying to hide it.  </p>
<p>"I was uncertain whether to come or not," they paused, "and I am still not sure for how long I will stay." </p>
<p>The last thing he wanted was to force them to stay around him. He hadn't seen them in a week and having their attention back on him was refreshing but he also couldn't help but feel greedy.  </p>
<p>"There's no pressure to stick around or anything," he said trying to sound smooth, "there are drinks and food and I think Octane's setting up a karaoke machine for later so that'll be a show enough on its own. Plus I've sort of missed my practice partner a bit and there's not exactly weapons around but we could still talk or-" </p>
<p>"You missed me?" They asked and Elliott hated that with their voice modulator he couldn't quite tell if the upwards inflection of their voice was meant to be hopeful or mocking.  </p>
<p>He had to force himself to stop fiddling with his hands when he talked. "I haven't really seen you around much lately and that's all good cause holidays are busy and plenty of people have been taking breaks from training. I just got a bit worried since no one's seen you around for a bit," he rattled off.  </p>
<p>"My apologies, I have kept myself busy over the past few days and hadn't realised that you would be concerned," they said.   </p>
<p>Busy. They had been busy. That made sense. Elliott didn't know why he hadn't just settled on that explanation by himself earlier. He had wasted so much time doubting them instead.  </p>
<p>"Elliott?" They asked and their tone made him realise that he hadn't heard them.  </p>
<p>"Sorry, what was that?"   </p>
<p>"You said there were drinks nearby," they said, "would you be able to show me. I admit…I am somewhat unfamiliar with many of the legends."   </p>
<p>Elliott started walking towards the bar set up but he still frowned at their words. "What do you mean?" He asked.    </p>
<p>"I know that my behaviour can be seen as anti-social or off-putting to some," they said simply.    </p>
<p>"What? you're kidding me, right?" He spluttered a bit. "I'm pretty sure that everyone here is going to be on you the second they see you. I mean, not in a weird way. Like Wattson is definitely going to ask you about the tech you use and I think Bangalore and Wraith both want to organise some time to spar outside the games. Not in a violent way though, well maybe more violent for Wraith, Bangalore just doesn't want to be at the end of your scope when she sees you snipe for once."   </p>
<p>They didn't say much to that, however, even though Elliott couldn't see their expression he felt like they might be feeling a bit red.   </p>
<p>He prepared their drinks while they continued to talk. Something only a bit alcoholic for him since he wanted to be in the right headspace and Bloodhound told him that they were happy to have anything non-alcoholic. He wasn't surprised by that when he knew how much they relied on their senses.    </p>
<p>When he handed the drink to them he wasn't sure what he was expecting with their mask still affixed to their face. He watched as they pulled out an extendable straw and uncapped the bottom of their mask where there was a small hole that allowed them to keep their mask on and still drink.   </p>
<p>He watched them take small sips throughout their conversation, all the while holding in a smile. He had never thought that the hunter could be capable of looking so adorable before but there really wasn't any other word in his head to describe what he was watching right now.    </p>
<p>"What are you planning now trickster?" They asked him after they finished their drink.    </p>
<p>He set his drink down, "planning?"   </p>
<p>"You have that smile that you only wear in the games when you are about to pull off a trick," they said with certainty.    </p>
<p>"Maybe I'm just smiling," he grinned and leaned in a bit, "because I've got a nice view."   </p>
<p>Bloodhound lifted their straw to their mouthpiece once again but seemed to realise that their glass was visibly empty and they wouldn't be able to stall.   </p>
<p>"Mirage, you are-"   </p>
<p>He made a breathy laugh before he interrupted for a second, "I think by now we've been teamed up enough, and you know you've killed me a lot and I've killed you a bit, my point is that I don't mind if you just call me Elliott."   </p>
<p>"Elliott…" They considered while they tipped their glass back and forth in their hands. "I feel that I should apologise again for my absence. It was not my intention to stay away."   </p>
<p>One of his hands was fiddling with the wool of the scarf while he kept his eyes on them. "Oh...Uh, it's nothing you should really worry about, just got in my head a bit too much," he told them, "does this mean I'll see you at the practice range again?"  </p>
<p>If he could see them without a mask he imagined they would be blinking judging by how their posture straightened in alertness. "You still wish to continue?" They asked.   </p>
<p>"I did say I missed you," he said with a bit of trepidation, "I thought I weirded you out too much or something."   </p>
<p>"Have trust when I say that very little would be able to take my attention away from you."   </p>
<p>Elliott went still but he remained leaning towards the hunter. Once again that deeply focused attention that Elliott always sought to have on him in those early mornings settled on him again. They were sitting up straight, those round eyes of their mask entirely focused on him and Elliott wouldn't have wanted them anywhere else.   </p>
<p>He opened his mouth and then promptly closed it when he realised he didn't know what to say in response.    </p>
<p>They cleared their throat and continued, "Elliott I would ask-"   </p>
<p>"Mirage!" Ajay's called out around the corner of the room. When she spotted him behind the bar she exhaled and moved to get closer to him talking all the while, "didn't ya' hear me yellin'? I've been looking everywhere for ya'!"  </p>
<p>"Uh, Ajay maybe now isn't really the time-"   </p>
<p>"I ain't never got time with that brat 'round here," she huffed, "Octane's on the balcony trying 'ta grab one of his pads, idiot thinks he can land in the pool but I know he's just gonna break his scrawny neck and ain't no respawn tech here." </p>
<p>Elliott's eyes flittered back and forth between Bloodhound and Ajay, who hadn't taken a look at the hunter to notice their discomfort. "At the risk of sounding like a terrible person," he began keeping an eye of Bloodhound like he was worried that they were about to bolt, "I think I'm a bit out of my depth here and I honestly have no idea what you want me to do."   </p>
<p>"Can ya' just distract him for a sec?" She asked. "I know he's only got one last pad on the base. It'll only take me two minutes to shove it in a room he can't get in. Just two minutes Elli, c'mon."   </p>
<p>It was probably because he'd already had a few drinks but he loathed to separate from Bloodhound's attention.<em>  Don't be an idiot Elliott, your friend is going to go splat in some dumb stunt if you don't do anything.  </em>   </p>
<p>"Two minutes, I can do two minutes," he said it more to subtlety assure Bloodhound that he wasn't just leaving.    </p>
<p>He wanted to say something more to Ajay but she had already turned with a mad dash to the stairs and Elliott headed to the balcony.    </p>
<p>He kept walking but turned his head to Bloodhound, "hold that thought, just stay there for a second, promise that I'll be back before you blink!"    </p>
<p>If Bloodhound said anything it was drowned out by the sounds of the party that consumed the air as he made his way to the balcony. Octane wasn't hard to find. He had dragged down some of the decorations and covered himself in lights and numerous other gold, green, and red decorations that made him hard to look at directly.  </p>
<p>The second Octane noticed Elliott, he darted forward and let his weight drop on him and Elliott scrambled to keep hold onto him with all of the extra decorations that fell off his body. "Elliott!"' He shouted loud enough that it made him want to cover his ears. "You gotta help me with this stuff, I got this great stunt planned but I keep tripping over these lights. Makes it look like its stealing all of the attention when it should be me doing that."   </p>
<p>He dropped his weight a bit further and Elliott dug his hands under the small daredevil's armpits and hoisted him up. "Yep, the lights are trashy gotta agree with you there, they gotta go," Elliott rambled, "but do you know what else could go? The whole stunt! I mean you wanna keep your best tricks for the game right?"   </p>
<p>Octane groaned loudly into his skin, "you're so boring, I just can't do anything these days without Ajay smacking me in the back of my head. She used to let me get away with anything."   </p>
<p>"She just cares about you, nothing wrong with that," he told Octane.    </p>
<p>"She doesn't have to worry so much," he grumbled, "I always get back in one piece. Well, after that grenade explosion it was two pieces - or does it count as three since the legs were separate? I don't know…"  </p>
<p>Elliott started slowly moving away from the balcony and back towards the main hallway. It probably wouldn't help but it might keep the daredevil's mind off of the stunt.    </p>
<p>He sighed, "why don’t you go talk to Ajay about it all then?"   </p>
<p>"I try to talk to her all the time since I joined the games since the whole leg thing," he whined, "this way I'll get her attention. Or hell I reckon from this balcony if I get the right angle I'll be smooth sailing towards hacker boy's apartment."   </p>
<p>Elliott spluttered a bit, "you want to see Crypto?" </p>
<p>"I don't just want to see him," he said, "I'm going to talk to him and get him on my team for next game. We played one time and were powerhouses together. Green and green go well together, eh? I invited him to this thing but he hasn't shown up? I've seen him around, it's not like he's left for the holidays or anything."   </p>
<p>"We're talking about the same Crypto right?" Elliott asked.    </p>
<p>"At first I thought he kinda had a stick up his arse but then I realised that he's sort of hot sometimes," he slurred into Elliott's shoulder as they drifted further down the hallway. "And then other times he's really hot. So if he doesn't have a stick up that ass of his I don't mind replacing it with-"   </p>
<p>Elliott lifted a hand to close it over his mouth to stop him from talking which made the smaller man drop a bit further, "please do not finish that sentence I am begging you."   </p>
<p>"Your loss," Octane grumbled and rolled his eyes. A moment later when he blinked they landed affixed above Elliott's head resting aimlessly.    </p>
<p>He was definitely way too drunk to be practising crazy suicidal stunts and he was silently glad that Ajay had come to him. The legend was shifting his weight between his feet as he stayed staring above Elliott's head.    </p>
<p>"Hey, you know my eyes are down here right?" Elliott joked but couldn't force a laugh from himself. He'd worked in a bar long enough to see how all kinds of people reacted to drinking. And he'd realised very quickly that it was better to have a loud drunk than a quiet one because the quiet ones never let you know before they pulled something stupid.  </p>
<p>As Octane continued to space out Elliott just continued to talk, "plus I got a whole face too that's considered pretty great."  </p>
<p>The daredevil started shushing him and pointed with his hand that was least weighed down by decorations above the two of them. Elliott obeyed and raised his eyes upwards and spotted what looked like several branches of greenery which had wrapped together at the stem and hung down from the ceiling.     </p>
<p>"What's that?" He whispered since he didn't want to be shushed by octane again.    </p>
<p>"You never heard of it before?" Octane asked. "People call it mistletoe or something, I think it's a tradition that people have on World's Edge. But apparently, it's also a parasite? Also, when two people walk under it you gotta kiss."   </p>
<p>"Or what?"   </p>
<p>"What do you mean or what?" the stunt master asked exasperated.    </p>
<p>"Does something bad happen if you don't?" Elliott questioned. Wattson had never brought up this tradition when they were decorating the lodge.    </p>
<p>Octane made a clicking sound and answered, "someone comes and arrests you. It's illegal not to."  </p>
<p>"I don't think that's a thing," Elliott decided after half a second.    </p>
<p>"Ok it's not illegal but if you don't Wattson will cry because you don't follow her traditions," Octane blathered drunkenly, "and if you make Wattson cry then Bangalore will beat you up and Caustic will target you in the next game. And you get kicked out of the Apex Games because fans will riot if anyone who made a being of literal sunlight cry is allowed to stay in the game."   </p>
<p>"Uh-huh," Elliott nodded, "sure, gotcha."   </p>
<p>Octane looked back up at the mistletoe and the tiny white berries that decorated it much more graciously than he had decorated himself with the menagerie of items on his body.   </p>
<p>Then, when he looked back down at Elliott he shrugged as if to say 'oh well, whatever' and slung his arms around the taller man's neck and dragged him into a kiss.    </p>
<p>Elliott's first reaction was absolutely nothing. If fight or flight was an option to tick off on a piece of paper than he had thrown that paper in the bin without thinking anything more. He just went still as Octane kissed drunkenly against his slack mouth.   </p>
<p>Before Elliott's mouth moved to pull away, his eyes moved first, upwards and behind Octane to look down the hallway and see a figure at the end of it who had just turned around a corner. A figure that he instantly and painfully recognised as Bloodhound.   </p>
<p><em> Shit.   </em>  </p>
<p>The shock flashed through his system more so than Octane's kiss had. He immediately pulled back from the kiss and straightened up to properly look at them. They stared at each other for a second while Octane lousily rested his weight back against Elliott's chest. Bloodhound only took a moment longer to stare before they strode off from his and Octane's direction, hands gripping their sides and with a speed that spoke of clear discomfort and want to be anywhere else.    </p>
<p>"Wait, Hound-" He immediately pushed back Octane to try to follow them but the lights that had begun to droop around his legs caused them both to stumble and fall over each other. When he looked back up Bloodhound had already disappeared.   </p>
<p>Fuck.    </p>
<p>He pulled himself up and then he must have yanked Octane up a bit too roughly because he stumbled and groaned when he was lifted off of the floor. Before Octane could open his mouth Elliott began dragging them both down the hallway and towards where he had seen Bloodhound leave.    </p>
<p>Both of them arrived into a room where Bangalore seemed to be teaching Wattson how to play pool, she was in the middle of sizing up a shot when she spotted the two of them and relaxed her stance. Elliott's eyes meanwhile were surveying the room but couldn't spot the hunter anywhere.   </p>
<p>"What are you two-" Bangalore started but she stopped when Elliott immediately and unceremoniously dropped Octane into the closest chair he could see.    </p>
<p>"You're on babysitting duty," he said as his only response and darted out through the only other exit in the room.   </p>
<p>There was no way that he was going to let this screw anything up. He had worked really hard to see Bloodhound and he wanted his morning training back, he wanted to see them again outside of those times and most of all he wanted to hear what they were going to say to him at the bar before Ajay had pulled them away.    </p>
<p>He ducked through corridors and avenues until he finally spotted the hunter's familiar silhouette waiting outside the elevator. "Hound wait a sec!" He called out and saw them stiffen but still eagerly walk into the elevator as the doors opened.    </p>
<p>By the time he caught up with them the doors had almost shut out Bloodhound's face when Elliott did the only thing he could think of and shoved his fingers through the gap to keep it from closing. He was overcome with a sudden morbid thought that the elevator doors were going to slam his fingers but was relieved when they paused and then fully opened.    </p>
<p>He squeezed inside next to Bloodhound and Elliott once again mourned that he couldn't tell what their reaction was behind the mask. He wasn't really sure what to say either or where to start. He didn't want to overwhelm them by rambling but he also knew that he couldn't just ease into it with an opener like 'how about this weather we're having?'  </p>
<p>"I don't really know how to say this-" He started but Bloodhound only held up a hand. Elliott had seen the gesture often enough that he knew to stay silent until they spoke.    </p>
<p>Which seemed to be a while since they had been dead quiet for a long enough time that it was beginning to get very awkward.    </p>
<p>Eventually, they let out a quiet exhale, "it is alright Mirage," they said. Mirage, if that didn't hurt like hell.    </p>
<p>"Look back there wasn't what you think it was," he tried again but Bloodhound tensed and he knew to stop.    </p>
<p>They finally moved away from that deadly stillness and selected a floor number as the elevator began to move. "I already said earlier that I would likely not be staying for long," they said plainly.    </p>
<p>The elevator buttons looked like a ticking clock to Elliott, their floor wasn't very far off and he needed to stall for time. So, he did the first thing that came to mind and slammed down his hand on all the buttons he could see.    </p>
<p>Their hand struck out a moment later and grabbed him by the wrist with a slight growl in warning that made Elliott's hairs stand on edge. "Stop that, you are acting like a child," they ordered.  </p>
<p>"W-Well you're acting like…Like someone who's…Who doesn't want to listen," he mustered. "I said that that thing with Tavi was out of context." </p>
<p>"Your personal relationship with Octane is none of my business," they said stiffly. The elevator uncomfortably jolted between each floor to stop and open before taking its time to close again. "And I do not care to hear of it."   </p>
<p>"Why?" He asked. "Because you were going to say something at the bar before?"  </p>
<p>Their hand released his wrist from their grip and when they crossed their arms they hugged their coat closer inwards. "I never imagined you capable of being cruel, Mirage."   </p>
<p>"Stop calling me that," he pleaded, "and I'm not trying to be cruel I want to know what you were going to say to me."   </p>
<p>"It is inconsequential," they affirmed.    </p>
<p>"Just let me explain what happened with Octane," he begged, "and I promise you that everything will make way more sense."   </p>
<p>Bloodhound gave a slow exhale, "as I am stuck here until I reach my floor it seems I have no choice."   </p>
<p>He could work with that. He just needed this chance. Don't mess it up Witt. He started speaking and he made sure that he spoke slowly so that he didn't tremble on any words, "alright so I went to go find Octane by the balcony and I pulled him into the hallway. He was really drunk and noticed that there was this branch thing that's apparently apart of the holiday season called 'mistletoe' or something?"   </p>
<p>"Mistletoe," they repeated yet Elliott couldn't pick up on their tone.    </p>
<p>"Yeah and Octane said that it’s a tradition that you have to kiss underneath it," he said with a trace of embarrassment, "and he kissed me and at that same time, you came into the hallway. That's kind of the story. And also Octavio's not interested in me at all, he's head over heels for someone else."  </p>
<p>"And does that disappoint you?" They asked quietly.   </p>
<p>"What? No, no, no, I'm not interested in him," he replied.   </p>
<p>Once again the elevator was filled with silence and Elliott took another peek at the buttons to see that there were not that many stops left.   </p>
<p>Silence filled the elevator once again. Bloodhound still remained facing the doors while Elliott's eyes were only on them. The little bits of body language that showed off their tone that slipped from them wasn't something that Elliott was going to miss.    </p>
<p>"I know of mistletoe," they eventually said.  </p>
<p>"Oh...good."   </p>
<p>They nodded, "it was once used to kill a god. Afterwards, it became a symbol of love and peace in many traditions such as those celebrated in World's Edge…And other places."   </p>
<p>"Oh."   </p>
<p>They chuckled a little, "yes, 'oh'."   </p>
<p>Elliott took a moment to gather his thoughts. "So do you hold anything against me?" He asked weakly.    </p>
<p>"It would be very difficult for me to see you with ill will," they said decidedly.   </p>
<p>"You said something like that at the bar," he replied, "and then you were going to say something else…"   </p>
<p>The doors of the elevator opened and Elliott realised that all of the buttons' lights had gone out. Final stop. He waited nervously to see if they would get out or stay. They didn't move and the doors remained open.    </p>
<p>He wanted to be certain so he asked, "um, do you want to get out of the elevator?"   </p>
<p>Bloodhound only looked between the buttons and the exterior of the elevator and stared listlessly. "It seems that…I have missed my floor entirely," they said and Elliott wanted to laugh at the way that their tone of voice made it sound like they were disappointed by their failure to pay attention.   </p>
<p>"Ah," he said uselessly, "you could go back there. Or if you want to keep talking we could go to the roof. Pretty much no one goes there, but Wraith showed it to me one time and it gives you a really good view of the night sky sometimes."  </p>
<p>"The roof," they agreed quickly to Elliott's surprise.    </p>
<p>He nodded and tapped the button that would take them to the roof before he settled beside Bloodhound. A lot of the awful tension that had entered with them had dissipated and Elliott was extremely thankful for that. Without the elevator having to stop every other second to open its doors, it made it quickly to roof and they both stepped out into the night.     </p>
<p>It was late enough that the stars were awake and flashing with the sky. However, with the pollution from Hammond Robotics always at work, the stars were forced to fight for a place in the night sky these days. Still, they were beautiful, Elliott had never been one for astronomy but sometimes he liked to imagine which of the brighter or more coloured stars were distant planets.     </p>
<p>There wasn't anywhere to sit but Elliott found a spot and stretched out his legs and sat down. Bloodhound remained standing and turned slowly around in their place to take in the scenery for a time before they eventually joined Elliott.    </p>
<p>"This is quite beautiful," Bloodhound offered, "nature, the sky, it still persists even in these cities and for that, it will one day become stronger. I did not know this place existed."   </p>
<p>"I don't really think I'm the kind of person who sees stuff like this the same as others," he hummed, "I remember watching Wraith take in the night stars like it was sunlight or air. Then sometimes I come up here and I think that the stars are disappointed that they don't have a visitor like her or like you."  </p>
<p>He's pretty sure that anything he's saying makes entirely no sense but he doesn't stop. His eyes are off Bloodhound and they rest lazily towards the night instead.    </p>
<p>"The way you treat yourself is unfair," they murmured. "You deserve so much."   </p>
<p>"Hm, well...One way of looking at things you deserve is thinking of it as things you want," he considered, "...and what I want is to find out what you wanted to say to me earlier."  </p>
<p>They chuckled a bit at that, "you truly are persistent."   </p>
<p>"Does that mean you'll tell me?"   </p>
<p>They paused but it wasn't the same as they did when Elliott thought they were uncomfortable. This time they seemed more relaxed, simply waiting for the words to arrive within themselves before they would begin to talk. "Perhaps it would be better for me to show you instead," they settled on saying.    </p>
<p>From a pocket in their coat, they pulled out a smooth case that Elliott remembered seeing in their hands when they first saw them earlier that night. Silently, they slipped it into his hands, "this is a gift, intended for you."   </p>
<p>Elliott opened the case after a moment, with a quick slide of the lid off the treasure inside was revealed. There it lay, sat in a velvet cloth, a beautiful dagger. Its handle was decorated with jewels though not ostentatiously so that it would not impede the way it could be held. The blade itself was decorated with carved runes and Elliott lifted it out of the box and practiced holding it in his hand. Light, powerful, well-crafted, cherished.    </p>
<p>"This is for me?" He asked like he couldn't believe it.   </p>
<p>"I have noticed that other competitors such as myself or Wraith carry certain concealed weapons into the games. I hoped that this may bring you some small comfort during the games, to know that you always have the ability to protect yourself should you need it," they explained it so surely that he felt lulled to calm by it.   </p>
<p>He examined the weapon in his hand. The craftsmanship was excellent, he wasn't exactly a connoisseur of weapons like this but he could still tell that there was excellent care put into it.    </p>
<p>"The gifts," he realised out loud, his mouth widening into a small 'o' shape.   </p>
<p>Then he thought of those little notes tucked away in his room and wrappers of sweet chocolate. He lifted his hand to his neck and tugged at the warm woollen scarf, another item of that careful craftsmanship that had made him feel cherished.   </p>
<p>He turned towards Bloodhound to make sure that he wasn't crazy and exhaled when they gave a short nod. "One of the reasons why I was absent from our practices was that I was collecting the materials and using the time to create this, along with other items."   </p>
<p>"And the other reason?"    </p>
<p>"A part of me feared that perhaps you would rescind your invitation," they admitted, "in that regard, I was a coward."   </p>
<p>He shook his head, "No one could claim that you of all people are a coward, least of all yourself."   </p>
<p>"You are very generous to say so," they hummed.    </p>
<p>Still, Elliott couldn't get his mind off of the rest of the gifts before the dagger. "Why give me gifts? Why not speak to me instead?" </p>
<p>They fiddled with their hands a bit before they answered, "At first I was uncertain if I should approach you. We had been on teams but a few times and you were much closer with other legends. You gave me the impression that you might accept…Material offerings and items judging by the way you enjoyed the praise of your fans."   </p>
<p>"That sounds pretty fair."   </p>
<p>"At first I didn't seek to gain any response from you, I was only concerned that you may have another reason to smile during the day and then I surprised when you asked to join me in the morning. I wondered if you knew it was me but you never gave any sign that you did. And as I began to see you more…" They drifted off.   </p>
<p>He could barely think right now so he said the first thing that came to mind, "I didn't know you knew how to knit." And instantly wanted to slap himself for not coming up with something better to say.  </p>
<p>"It is a skill of mine," they shrugged, "not one I am very adept at but one I know nonetheless."   </p>
<p>Elliott soaked that in for a moment. At least Wraith would be happy to know that his not-so-secret admirer wasn't a stalker. "I never thought about it like this but wow aren't I lucky you two turned out to be the same person...You know because here I was looking at you and pining after this secret admirer at the same time," he laughed.    </p>
<p>"Is that so?" They said with a slight inflection in their tone, though this time he could pick up exactly what it meant.  </p>
<p>"Wait a second are you jealous?" He teased. "You can't be jealous if the other person is yourself that's a rule, it's written down somewhere I bet."   </p>
<p>They shook their head indignantly, "I am not jealous."   </p>
<p>"You seem a little bit," he said all the while smiling and he knew that they were too even though he couldn't see it.   </p>
<p>"Jealousy is beneath me-" they declared, "-look you are freezing."   </p>
<p>He rolled his eyes, "nice try to change the subject."   </p>
<p>However, when Elliott ran his hands across his arms he noticed for the first time since stepping out onto the roof that he was shaking from the cold.    </p>
<p>They shrugged off their warm coat and pushed it towards him to accept. "I tend to stay warmer than most," they told him, "I do not need it." </p>
<p>Eventually, Elliott realised that they were not going to let him stay cold outside. So, instead of wearing the coat himself he waved it out and slunk closer to where Bloodhound was sitting and layered the coat over them like a blanket. It was too small to fully keep them both comfortable but true to their word Elliott realised that Bloodhound was quite warm. Though they were still covered head to toe in layers there still seemed to be a natural heat that they gave off that Elliott was happy to benefit from.    </p>
<p>The two of them sat together admiring the sky with only the small and endless city lights to brighten from below. There was no comparison between this and the practice range. Sure, being able to goad them into flipping him over was pretty hot but this was a deep comfort that fit itself eagerly between his joints. Those gifts and symbols that showed him he was cherished now had a face to match them to. Well, not exactly a face but definitely a mask.    </p>
<p>As time passed in silence Elliott eventually found the courage to ask once again, "so what was it you were going to say at the bar?" </p>
<p>They laughed quietly, "I'm sure that you know enough to put it together for yourself by now."  </p>
<p>He considered it for only a second before he acted and moved his left arm so that he could wrap it their around their waist so he could tug them a bit closer. The tension in their body seemed to lapse and relaxed into his hold much to Elliott's delight.  </p>
<p>"Mm," he agreed because of course, he knew, "but I want to hear you say it without the gifts in between."  </p>
<p>That beautiful hum of theirs which always managed to revitalize him returned through the air. "Then I shall tell you how I feel Elliott Witt," they said lightly, "I believe that you are a skilled fighter and friend to many. I never tire of hearing your voice no matter how menial the conversation is. Your charisma and beauty are as impossible to ignore as your perfect laughter. I know that much weighs on you and it is possible that I may not be able to offer you any respite, though I would like to if you would ever give the chance."   </p>
<p>He stared at them. He'd had exes and lovers in the past. But none like Bloodhound could be in the future.    </p>
<p>"I'd kiss you right now if you weren't wearing your mask," he said plainly and probably a bit dumbly but he left the offer hover in the air.   </p>
<p>They gave a breathy laugh before they reached their hand out to him which he accepted gladly as they pulled him up from their seated spot. "Your lips are turning blue," they noted clinically, "there is somewhere warmer we could go."  </p>
<p>"Not even a first date and I'm already being invited back to your apartment?" Elliott whistled. "Aren't I the lucky one."  </p>
<p>They made a tutting sound, "my apartment only has a hammock. You would be in for a very uncomfortable night."  </p>
<p>"And you're assuming that I want to stay the night as well?" He gasped dramatically.   </p>
<p>"Please," they huffed as they led him back towards the elevator, "do not think that I didn't notice that every time we sparred you tried to get me to pin you on purpose."   </p>
<p>He spluttered for a second. Ok, so they had definitely noticed that. Damn, apparently he wasn't as subtle as he thought.    </p>
<p>"Well, you-" he began.    </p>
<p>They immediately broke any complete thought in his mind as they clicked several latches and lifted the mask off of their face. Elliott greedily absorbed as many details as he could before they snuck a hand to the small of his back and tugged him closer to bring him into a warm kiss.    </p>
<p>It was brief but every bit about it, especially that feeling of just a bit of those elongated canines and tongue brushing his bottom lip made him want to return to that warmth immediately.    </p>
<p>"I think my lips are still blue," he babbled, "they might need a bit more warming up." </p>
<p>Bloodhound placed a gentle kiss to his cheek and kept their mouth there when they murmured, "then we have all night to warm up." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tom Casellio said it was my turn to write Apex Legends and guess what - Elliott's heirloom is a gift from Hound because I said so.  </p>
<p>So I kind of envisioned that because the Apex universe takes place pretty far into the future that a lot of traditions change over time or fuse with others. Like how our modern Christmas isn't like it was centuries ago because it has been influenced by different traditions around the same time and social stuff too blah, blah, blah. And also different planets would have different traditions. </p>
<p>This chapter is mega chunky and the next chapter will probably be equally chunky. Also, it's nsfw. Which could be a letdown or a pick up depending on what people like. </p>
<p>Anyway I'm rambling but if you liked it leave a kudos/comment because I thrive off it</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elliott was most certainly planning something. The legends had only a few days left until the games began again and Elliott and Bloodhound had spent that time finding their footing in their new relationship. Together they explored the nooks and crannies of World's Edge, Elliott liked to fill the conversations when they walked together though he loved it when Bloodhound would go on about something specific. And when their feet grew tired they would return to lodges where it became clear that the hammock in Bloodhound's apartment wasn't built for comfort. But they had also learned that Elliott's bed was big enough for two.</p><p>So when during the day Elliott had begun to act almost distant from them, they knew he was planning something. At first, they wondered worryingly if they had done something wrong but he seemed to only be doing it as a form of light teasing.</p><p>When they had wrapped their arms around his waist that morning while Elliott made breakfast he had turned back to kiss them on the cheek then he had said, "mmm, not right now Houndie, got to make sure your present for later is perfect."</p><p>They had obliged and pulled back their hands but left their mouth nuzzled into his neck to make a disappointed groan. "There was no need for you to go out of your way to get me something," they murmured.</p><p>"Trust me this is gonna knock your woolly socks right off," he said before giving them another kiss on the cheek, "mind getting me the eggs from the fridge?"</p><p>That brief feeling of wrapping their arms around his waist had been all Bloodhound had gotten as the day went by. Every time that they went to touch or hold Elliot, he would weasel out of their grasp with a teasing remark which was uncharacteristic of him when he normally sunk into those gestures pliantly.</p><p>Since it was one of the last days before the games would begin once more Gibraltar had taken it upon himself to organise a movie night. Elliott had been thrilled to hear that Bloodhound wished to join them since they had slowly begun to interact more with other legends.</p><p>Setting up for the movie night was a much easier task than it was to set up for the holiday party. Especially since Elliott and his decoys had offered to help with most of the cooking while a few others set up the furniture to surround the screen or brought drinks.</p><p>Bloodhound itched to assist but Elliott was firm that with his decoys he had plenty of helping hands. As such, they were confined to the stool by the kitchen island while they watched him and his decoys prepare the food. Bloodhound had certainly cooked the food that they had hunted before but they hardly ever tried to experiment with flavours, unlike Elliott who acted like it was his life mission to see how many seasonings could fit on a porkchop. They had noticed that most of the time his culinary experiments worked, the keyword being<em> most.  </em></p><p>At one point one of the decoys, who had just finished putting something in the oven, came by and sat on the barstool next to them. Outside of the games, they had picked up that Elliott's decoys had a refined sense of personality to them. They had noticed that he labelled these decoys with personality traits like shy or flirty and because of their fixated personalities, it wasn't difficult for Bloodhound to tell who they were based on body language or tone.</p><p>Judging by the way that this decoy leaned back to rest his head on their shoulder and laid a hand just above their knee it was the decoy that he named 'flirty'. With his head on their shoulder, he only had to turn slightly to speak quietly enough by their mask so that neither Elliott or any of the other decoys would be able to hear them talk.</p><p>"You know Elli was so excited when he saw that your gift had come in the mail," the decoy said with a bit of a yawn, "he was getting worried that it was never going to turn up."</p><p>Flirty's thumb on their leg began to trace patterns while Bloodhound asked, "and what would that gift be?"</p><p>He made a humming noise for a second before giving them a sly wink. Flirty lifted his head off of their shoulder and faced Elliott before he asked, "Elliott I think there's some paprika in the top cabinet, do you mind grabbing it?"</p><p>When Elliott gave an affirmative sound Flirty leaned back into Bloodhound and simply whispered, "watch."</p><p>And so Bloodhound did as Elliott looked up at the top cabinet. It was high enough that he had to stretch to reach it and his top rode up slightly when he did and-</p><p>
  <em> Oh.   </em>
</p><p>Where Elliott's top had risen it revealed his lovely skin and the sight of thin gold lace around his hips with a hint of unmistakable straps leading further downward. That sudden eyeful was gone too soon as Elliott retrieved the spice and slid it over the counter towards where Flirty had been cooking before his attention turned back to his food.</p><p>They were speechless as Flirty's thumb began to press a bit more firmly into their thigh when he said, "isn't that something?"</p><p>They were certainly inclined to agree.</p><p>For the rest of the day that was all they could think of after Flirty slunk back to the kitchen counter to continue making the meal. Bloodhound tried to keep their mind off of it and focus on the beautiful smells coming from the kitchen but all they could think about was where exactly that lace sat on his hips and how it might feel between their fingers. It was impossible to make out anything with Elliott's casual jumper thrown over his grey sweatpants. And as much as they tried to force themselves to stop thinking about it their attention wouldn't focus on anything else.</p><p>Even as the day slipped from the afternoon into the wavering sunset of World's Edge Elliott still wouldn't let Bloodhound hold or touch him and it was beginning to feel like torture. It only got worse when the other legends started arriving through the door by the kitchen before getting comfortable on the couch. Each time someone came through the door Elliott would go to greet them personally, pulling them into warm hugs which Bloodhound had been denied throughout the day. It was pure torture, especially when all Bloodhound could think of doing was stroking their hands up his sides so that they could take a look at the 'gift' that Elliott had gotten them.</p><p>Eventually, Gibraltar called everyone to get comfortable around the screen where the food had all been laid out around the few coffee tables of various heights that had been shoved next to each other. Elliott gave them a tap on the shoulder to guide them over to one of the two-seater couches that were furthest from the screen. They got comfortable along with everyone else, Elliott throwing a blanket over them as many others had done.</p><p>By now Bloodhound was fairly certain that many of the legends that they were normally paired with had picked up on their new relationship. They had decided to keep their relationship out of the public eye, for now, Elliott had been understanding as he knew how they valued their privacy. That didn't mean that they were entirely comfortable with taking off their mask around the other legends, though in the privacy of their or Elliott's apartment they were comfortable enough to do so.</p><p>Gibraltar started the movie, which Bloodhound hadn't even thought to ask the title for, and was surprised when they realised a few minutes in that it was some kind of action or horror drama. Not what they expected from Gibraltar but someone else might have chosen the movie. Elliott seemed surprised too judging by the way he tensed or jumped in his skin during each jump scare. They laughed a bit under their breath with each tiny reaction from him considering that they thought that Elliott would be used to this sort of action from the games.</p><p>At one particular point, Elliott jumped a bit further into their side and they snuck their arm around his right side to tug him a bit closer. At first, they wondered if Elliott would push them away like he had been for the rest of the day but he seemed distracted by the movie and let their hand rest on his waist.</p><p>During the movie, each time he would tense from the action they would press the pads of their fingers into his skin comfortably or rub his waist through his shirt comfortingly. Bloodhound waited for another scare to let Elliott curl a bit closer into them to next their move. Their hand rubbed up and down his side a few times until it slipped under his shirt where they were pleased to feel that lace that rose a bit higher over his sweatpants. It was a delightfully wonderful texture and they took their time feeling the texture, sometimes brushing it back and forth over his skin for him to feel the sensitive texture.</p><p>They had fully lost any interest in the movie and instead were watching Elliott with full intent out of the corner of their eye. His eyes were still focused on the movie but there was a glazed distance in them as he wriggled his waist a bit in their grasp. The gold garter belt had lovely straps that they used a finger to dig underneath and follow it further down until they were forced to stop where the band of Elliott's sweatpants were.</p><p>They paused a second and instead of further following those straps they played with the band of his sweatpants while the movie continued. Elliott's attention stayed on the movie but his face relaxed into their neck like Flirty's had been earlier and they were silently pleased to receive any kind of attention or reaction from him after a day of his teasing.</p><p>The tension for another jump scare was rising around and a sudden idea came to Bloodhound. They took two fingers and slid them under one of the straps at the front of the garter belt and slowly saw how it stretched upwards but kept its tension. Perhaps they shouldn't have been so surprised by Elliott's choice considering that they remembered looking at similar straps that adorned his suit during the Apex Games.</p><p>When they could tell that the scare was<em> just </em>about to happen they stretched the strap as high as they could. They kept their eyes on Elliott until they heard a sudden jolt of sounds of fear from the screen and then quickly withdrew their fingers so that the strap snapped back quickly into place onto Elliott's skin. When he jumped that time they chuckled a little at how they certain that his surprise wasn't only from the movie.</p><p>He made a small frustrated noise but kept it quiet so that none of the legends would hear it over the movie. "Hound…" He whispered into their neck.</p><p>"Watch the movie Elliott," they said calmly and smiled when he made another frustrated noise.</p><p>They glanced around to the left side of the room where the rest of the couches and legends were. None of them had spared any glance at the pair and they hadn't been given any reason to. The two of them were still covered with the blanket that Elliott had thrown over them at the start of the movie and Bloodhound's silhouette covered his slouched form as he melted into their side.</p><p>The rest of the movie continued like that. They began to skim their hand just under the band of his sweatpants to explore Elliott's 'gift' a bit further. They were pleased to find that a little bit further down the straps disappeared under another scrap of lace that Bloodhound couldn't see under his pants but hoped it was that same gold that made him look so beautiful.</p><p>They reached their hand down a bit further until they reached their prize. When their hand cupped him firmly over his lace underwear Elliott gave a full-body twitch. Judging by Elliott's expression he certainly hadn't planned for the rest of the night to turn out this. But Bloodhound wasn't going to let him have his way so easily after he'd spent the whole day teasing him.</p><p>So they kept their hand in place without moving it. Occasionally, they would rub that beautiful lace to see him shudder at the sensitivity of it. At one particular action, Elliott couldn't handle the teasing anymore so he began to move his hips to grind against their still hand. They knew that that wouldn't do so they gave a sigh of disappointment and began to withdraw their hand out of his sweatpants.</p><p>When Elliott realised that he was losing his chance of getting any possible friction he instantly and completely stilled himself. His eyes flickered up to Bloodhound in hope, the sweet curve of his mouth just parted to let out little breaths that they desperately wanted to capture.</p><p>They gave a small smile that they knew he wouldn't see and obliged him. They slipped their hand back into his sweatpants and returned their hand with a firm but ultimately still placement.</p><p>They let the mouthpiece of their mask tap at his forehead, if they hadn't been wearing a mask it would have surely been a kiss. They made a small rumbling sound in the back of their throat, softer than a growl, and whispered, "good boy."</p><p>At those two simple words, Elliott melted completely into Bloodhound's side satisfied. It was a kind of relaxed and completely trusting space that he would fall into after sex, spooned under their weight like there was no other place he wanted to be.</p><p>Both of them stayed like that, completely relaxed until they realised that the movie had already ended. Though neither of them would be able to answer any questions about what had happened during it. They were both eager to leave soon and after saying their goodbyes dove into the elevator and waited for it to shut and take themselves out of anyone's attention before they tried anything.</p><p>The relaxed headspace that Elliott had fallen into had broken as soon as they had gotten off of that couch. He was eager and excited now to touch. Not that Bloodhound was going to let him. When Elliott spun around to touch them in the elevator they had already wrapped their hands around his waist once around. Keeping his hands free but Elliott knew not to move them or he wasn't going to be getting any attention from Bloodhound.</p><p>They spun him to face the mirror that took up the wall opposite to the doors in the elevator as they tugged his shirt up to properly see what they had been angling for all afternoon and night.</p><p>"Like it?" He asked like there was any option aside from yes. "Had to order it online and I thought that it was never going to come."</p><p>One of their hands played with the lace material between their fingers but their eyes were stuck on Elliott's expression in the mirror and the way that his face was slowly getting redder.</p><p>"What is this called?" They questioned.</p><p>"Spic-spef-specifically?" He asked. "It's a garter belt, the straps go a bit lower to hold up the uh, the thigh highs. I wore some underwear on top so, uh, so you know…"</p><p>"Do I?" They mused teasingly. "What do I know?"</p><p>He groaned and let his weight rest into their chest, "not gonna say it."</p><p>They gave a chuckle and slipped their hand beneath his sweatpants and gripped his cock through his underwear and by instinct Elliott bucked into the feeling. "You will find out very quickly that you will get very little from me unless you obey," they hummed into his ear. "What were you planning tonight<em> elskan </em>? What exactly did you want me to do?"</p><p>The blush on his cheeks deepened and they thought that he looked as good in that red as he did in gold.</p><p>"I, uh," he mumbled, "I wanted-"</p><p>"Speak up Elliott," they ordered, "I want to be able to hear you."</p><p>He whined but continued a bit louder, "I wore the underwear on top so I could still take it off but keep on the garter belt. So…Uh, so you could fuck me while I wear it."</p><p>The last part came out quieter and rushed but Bloodhound is plenty satisfied and they let him know by sliding a hand into that lacey underwear to stroke him tightly. Elliott was pent up badly from their special teasing from the night that he moaned from the attention.</p><p>"You are especially sensitive tonight <em> elskan, </em>" they murmured and tipped up his chin so he could face his reflection, "look at how beautiful you are."</p><p>His eyes looked up to face the mirror as they gave him another stroke and they were delighted to see the beautiful expression that he made.</p><p>A second later the elevator doors dinged open to Elliott's floor and they withdrew their hands despite Elliott's whine. Still, he obediently followed them, even keeping one step ahead so that he could unlock the door to his apartment as quick as he could. While he fiddled with the key card they started unlatching the parts of their mask eagerly.</p><p>The door was shut as soon as it was open, Elliott's back slammed against the door to keep it shut, guided by Bloodhound's hand on his hips. A second later the mask was discarded to the floor with a heavy thud and their mouth went straight to his neck. Tugging the woollen scarf down so that they could lay marks against his neck.</p><p>Elliott was fiddling with his hands, working on the difficult ties and zips to Bloodhound's complicated outfit. Unfortunately, they realised that they were going to have to take their mouth off to tug his shirt and scarf off of him. With that thought, his shirt was off a moment later while Bloodhound started taking slow steps back towards his bedroom where they could properly investigate their prize.</p><p>He took his attention away from their outfit for a moment to tip their chin closer to him and leave a few kisses along their jawline before kissing them properly. It was rough and hard at first while they find their tempo but they found their pace together while Elliott worked on kicking off his pants.</p><p>Luckily enough, Elliott's bedroom door was open so there was no more fiddling or need to take their attention away from each other. "Shit," Elliott gasped when he pulled away and caught his breath. "Why do you have to wear so many layers?"</p><p>When he angled back to meet their mouth again they pressed a single finger against his lips instead. An action that made Elliott frown and Bloodhound want to giggle. They took a few steps backwards and shrugged off the more complicated layers and aspects of their clothes before they sat on the edge of the bed. Except for his lingerie, Elliott was naked and Bloodhound gave themselves a moment to appreciate the sight before they patted their thigh.</p><p>"Come here on my lap<em>kær, </em>" they said gently. </p><p>Elliott grinned and took his sweet time setting his thighs on either side of their hips and leaned in once again but they shook their head. "Not like that," they purred in his ear.</p><p>He leaned back a moment before the realisation became apparent judging by the way that redness return to his face. He had certainly shown enthusiasm towards the topic in the past but they had never had a chance to fully try it. He wasn't still for long, eager to take the position that he knew Bloodhound expected. He lifted himself out of their lap and changed so that he was longways on their knee before he perked up at their pleased expression.</p><p>Their hand found itself onto his ass quickly. They took a moment to admire him in this position, his face burrowed into his folded arms and plucked a strap of the garter belt to see the little way that he writhed in response.</p><p>"You were teasing me all day," they murmured, "and you thought that afterwards, you could have the night go exactly as you wanted it?"</p><p>"Wasn't a<em> bad </em>plan," he protested weakly. "I mean, I'm pretty happy with where I've ended up."</p><p>They gave the back of his thigh a quick pinch, "then I will teach you to regret that. If I never punish you then you will never learn to behave."</p><p>Then they leaned down to deliver a small kiss to the back of his neck before they struck out on his ass without warning and heard Elliott curse. They rubbed softly on that spot they had hit tenderly for a moment. "This gold is such a beautiful colour on your skin," they told him, "I wonder if it will match the shade you will be when I'm done with you."</p><p>"Fuck," he whined into the bedding.</p><p>They frowned, they didn't want him keeping any of those delicious noises to himself. They reached out their left hand and tipped his chin out of his folded arms. "I want to be able to hear how sorry you are <em> elskan </em>," they reminded him, "I am going to hit you twenty times. And after each time you are going to say 'thank you' and tell me what number you are at. If you are wrong then I will add five more. Is that too much for you Elliott?"</p><p>"Not enough," he teased them with a wink and in response, their hand struck out again on the other cheek and he swallowed a yelp.</p><p>They paused for a moment and ran a hand through his hair. "So greedy," they rumbled, "but that time you did not say thank you or give me your number. So I am already forced to add five more."</p><p>Elliott widened his eyes and they spanked him into in the same spot. He groaned, "I was gonna but you didn't give me enough time!"</p><p>"What was that Elliott?" They asked. "I will give you another chance to repeat yourself."</p><p>He bit out quickly, "one, thank you."</p><p>"Good boy," they praised him and rubbed a hand adoringly over his ass. "That means you have twenty-four left as long as you behave yourself."</p><p>Elliott whined but didn't make respond in any way that made them think that he couldn't handle it so they continued. He couldn't keep quiet at all. Bloodhound drank up each delicious yelp or groan he made every time they hit him and hummed pleasantly when he thanked them. The rhythm they fell into was abrupt, never letting him time to get comfortable but still allowing Bloodhound plenty of time between each strike so that they could enjoy it.</p><p>With each hit, they began to notice that he was not just squirming from the hits but also trying to hump into their leg for any friction he could find. They gave him a particularly hard smack that made him jerk and grip into the bedding but he still bumbled out, "twelve, thank you!"</p><p>They took a moment to admire the beautiful red marks that were blossoming on Elliott's skin. They trailed their hand softly downwards and slipped it under those gorgeous lace panties to brush against his sack and Elliott ground against their lap. "I was right," they considered, "you are so desperate tonight. You even let me play with you around everyone else. Were you hoping that I would touch you more during the movie my pretty boy?"</p><p><em> Smack</em>. "Thirteen, thank you!"</p><p>"I asked you a question too Elliott," they reminded him tersely.</p><p><em> Smack</em>. "Fourteen, thank you…" he whimpered. "Just wanted you, I don't know…"</p><p>"That is alright if you do not know <em>druslan mín </em>," they assured him. "But your actions have consequences and that is what I must teach you."</p><p>Another hit and another spring of words that tumbled from Elliott's mouth, "fifteen, thank you…thank you…"</p><p>"I wonder if you even knew how hard it was for me," they said. "When I saw your beautiful gift I could only think about tearing it off and unwrapping you myself. So generous…Except you wouldn't let me touch. Where you trying to frustrate so that this would be the outcome?"</p><p>They trailed a finger down his spine and watched him arch upwards into the contact. "Shit, yes, kinda, didn't think this was going to be how it turned out. Teasing you was just half the fun-" <em> smack  </em>"-fuck, sixteen, thank you."</p><p>Each hit was so loud that any time he thought he could fall into a rhythm the shock of the noise racked him out of it. He certainly hadn't expected them to try this tonight but fuck if it wasn't rewarding. It was so easy just to slump into relaxation with them and just focus on what they wanted when he knew that they would reward him in return. The humiliation was almost as good as the praise they dolled out in that accent that made him melt. With that focused attention of theirs on him, it was impossible not to meltdown his focus on simply being obedient for them.</p><p><em> Smack.  </em>There was a spot they had focused on that they had kept going back to that was getting especially sore and when they hit it again he could the wetness in his eyes threatening to spill out. "Bl-Hound I don't know if I can-" he broke into a groan when they shifted slightly and he felt his cock grind roughly against them.</p><p>They took a moment to run a hand through his hair again, knowing that it always calmed him down. He was sore enough now that even Bloodhound smoothing his palm over his ass was too much. He was getting too sensitive and he needed an outlet.</p><p>"Only two more Elliott," they promised him. "You're doing so well. So good for me, such a good boy, if you want to stop now I will."</p><p>He tried to think but the blood rushing in his head made it hard, "O-Only two?"</p><p>"Only two."</p><p>He'd lost track of far they had gone. He had counted every number upwards but at the same time, those thoughts felt completely forgotten as soon as they left his mouth. "Okay," he whispered hoarsely into the bed but Bloodhound still seemed to hear it well enough.</p><p>"Would you like them quickly or would you like time to recover?" They asked him.</p><p>He shook his head, "quickly, please."</p><p>"Of course," was all they said before he felt those final two hits.</p><p>"Twenty-four, twenty-five," he spilled out, "thank you! Thank you…"</p><p>They dragged him up by the shoulders and waist until he was seated with his thighs on either side of their lap. There wasn't any direct pressure on his ass in this position but there a burn from where they had hit the back of his thighs a few times. He slung his arms around them and quickly buried his face into their neck.</p><p>They kept a hand warm on his back and rubbed little circles while they asked him, "now <em> elskan </em>, I want you to tell me why I punished you."</p><p>He nodded roughly into their neck and spoke in little bites of sound, "b-because I was teasing you all d-day and I was acting like I brat instead of your good boy."</p><p><em> Fuck</em>. They exhaled heavily, they expected something lighter than that. They had seen how he melted into their touch when sex between them got on the more rough side and how he tightened around them beautifully when they would give him a quick swat on the ass. But they hadn't expected him to fall so deeply into this role and they were definitely not disappointed by it.</p><p>Wordlessly, they placed a hand on the small of his back and waited for his breathing to even out. Then they slid him off and manoeuvred him a bit further up the bed, trying their best to minimise any discomfort. He felt their presence lift off of the bed for a moment and he wanted to ask where they were going but felt too exhausted to muster the strength.</p><p>A minute later passed before they returned and Elliott turned his head to face their direction. He couldn't move much on his stomach but he didn't want to roll over onto his back and irritate the soreness he was feeling. Still, he noticed a sound like a lid being twisted off.</p><p>"What's that?" He grumbled barely coherently.</p><p>"I remembered that you had some numbing cream in your bathroom for soreness after games," they told him. "I thought it might be able to help now."</p><p>"Mmm, I didn't think you could get any more perfect," he hummed contently.</p><p>They slowly rubbed the cream into his sore skin. He hissed at the feeling, even their gentle hands caused discomfort when they irritated his bruising. Bloodhound shushed away at his complaints, kissing him on his back with each protest of noise.</p><p>When they started feeling the beginning of the numbness set into their own hands they stopped and headed back to his bathroom to wash the cream off of their hands. When they returned to the bedroom Elliott was sat up on his elbows with a lofty smile on his face.</p><p>"Can't believe you're still in all those clothes," he groaned.</p><p>"I'll change for bed soon," they promised.</p><p>Elliott sat up a little taller, "wait, what, why?"</p><p>"You are still very sore…" They explained. "I do not want to push you."</p><p>"You're not pushing me at all…Can't really sit right but I can look really pretty while you fuck me," he said with a smile. They were looking forward to wiping it off his face.</p><p>They rolled him onto his back slowly, leaving kisses along his neck as they straddled him and moved down to their prize. Oh, when Elliott was so sensitive it was always a treasure to play with those lovely gold barbell piercings that decorated his chest. They lapped the area around the barbell until he was squirming and digging his hands through their hair.</p><p>"You and your bird are so obsessed with shiny things," he gasped out.</p><p>"Only when they decorate you so wonderfully," they murmured into his chest. "And I suppose Arthur simply has good taste."</p><p>He let out a shuddering breath but continued, "ha, it's because you spoil him too much."</p><p>They licked at the beautiful metal while their other hand played with their the other barbell.</p><p>"Or," they rose up to whisper into his ear, "perhaps I just like to spoil my pets."</p><p>"Fuck, don't say stuff like that-"</p><p>They ignored him and turned their attention back to nipping at his piercings while they slid their knee between his legs which he eagerly ground against. They sucked at and kissed his chest until he truly began to writhe from it. Then they kissed back upwards to his neck, that lovely place that Bloodhound loved leaving lasting marks on.</p><p>"I shouldn't have bought you that scarf," they admitted, "it is so much more rewarding to see those marks I left on you. So that everyone may know you are taken."</p><p>"Hound, c'mon don't make me wait," he begged.</p><p>"Yet you made me wait all night," they argued but with that sweet smile on their face. "But you took your punishment so well. So I suppose you deserve a reward."</p><p>Elliott rambled out a series of thank you's to them while they tugged down his lace underwear while Elliott lifted his legs to drag them off as quickly as possible. The first feeling of their hand around his cock was paradise. He couldn't keep still when he was wound up like that. Bloodhound noticed it quickly and took their hand off him despite the way that he whined.</p><p>"Patience," they murmured but Elliott didn't stop trying to find purchase on their touch. "Hm, perhaps next time I will need to tie you down to keep you still."</p><p>"I-If you want, this t-to last then you can't keep talking like that," he moaned.</p><p>They laughed and pulled back entirely, "if you wish."</p><p>"Wait! I didn't mean-" He protested until he felt their hands return, slick with lube and pressing a finger against his hole. </p><p>"I'm going to give you what you need<em> elskan </em>," they told him dragging that finger inside him. "You wanted me to fuck you while you wore this?"</p><p>"M-M-More," he begged grinding back onto that finger.</p><p>They did not oblige him, instead using that finger to press against his prostate again and again. When his eyes shut from overstimulation they tipped his chin back to their gaze, "Manners, Elliott."</p><p>"P-Please, I want more, another finger, please," he rambled until they coaxed in another finger into him.</p><p>"My golden prince," they told him, "such a good boy. You just needed a little bit of encouragement to be good."</p><p>"Thank you…Thank you, thank you!"</p><p>"Be patient <em>elskan </em>, I don't want you to get hurt," they murmured and he relaxed back into the mattress more.</p><p>While they scissored him open their mouth returned to his neck, discontent with the lack of colour there. They playfully left little bites and sucked marks there, they did love his scarves, those playfully warm comforts. But they loved being able to admire that beautiful stretch of skin when he turned his head up and bared his neck.</p><p>Dimly in the back of their head, they thought that he would perfect in a collar while they jabbed their fingers at that bundle of nerves that they knew would quickly turn him into a whimpering mess.</p><p>He briefly turned his face out of the pillow he had been moaning into and shuddered out, "think so?"</p><p>And Bloodhound stopped moving their fingers when they realised that they had made they had accidentally made that comment out the collar out loud. Elliott groaned again trying to push himself back onto their fingers but stopped when he noticed the plain redness on their face.</p><p>"Houndie you're not embarrassed are you?" He teased.</p><p>"I," they paused, "did not mean to say that out loud."</p><p>He blinked and then said, "so, you were perfectly fine with groping me under a blanket and flipping me over and spanking me…But me wearing a collar is what makes you blush?"</p><p>They made a frustrated noise from the back of their throat, "it has certain…implications.</p><p>Elliott's slow trickster smile won over him and wriggled back into the comfort of the mattress. He tilted his neck up to present to them that map of marks that they laid onto his neck with affection and they could feel him tighten around their fingers. "Mmm, feels so good when you spoil me," he pushed onto his elbows so he could murmur into their ear, "I think you like taking care of your pets."</p><p>For a moment, he wondered if he'd misread the situation. And then those perfect fingers returned to stroking and rubbing him in the most perfect way while their other hand rested on their back to keep him from falling on his elbows. He could hear a sound reverberating through their chest Elliott that<em> definitely</em> recognised as one of those growls that would throw him completely off when he would hear it in a game through the comms.</p><p>He bucked into those stronger fingers and spoke softly into their ear, "I'm thinking leather. Maybe a little ring at the front you could clip a leash onto. I-If I wasn't so sore I'd sit back on my knees and stay between your legs. All day. If you wanted that. Barely even do anything, just keep you nice and warm until you wanted to use me-"</p><p>They cut him off when their mouth returned and sucked harshly at the tendon on his neck and rutted their hips against his. They pulled their fingers back and threw off the rest of their layers until they were perfectly naked for him to admire. He wanted to make another smart comment but they had grabbed him by the hips to flip him over.</p><p>His eyes flittered back to them to see them preparing and slicking themselves up with lube before they gripped the side of ass possessively. And Elliott was very, very, very pleased to hear that growl that was reverberating around the air. They took a moment to grind between the golden thigh highs and kept their hands tightly on his waist.</p><p>Elliott opened his mouth to start begging but instead felt a solid warmth pushing into him slowly and instead a long breathy noise came out. He knew that they loved to savour it at first, nice and slow until they fucked him into a puddle but he couldn't handle that tonight. Neither could they apparently because they readjusted their grip on his hips and then suddenly yanked him back against them to bottom out.</p><p>They rubbed his hip affectionately with their thumb while they enjoyed his reaction. He'd been so startled by the sudden movement that his elbows had collapsed leaving his back in a delicious arch for them to view.</p><p>Tonight they were not going to take their time fucking him slowly, that patience had been left far behind. Elliott let out a yelp or a strangled moan every time they slammed against his prostate. There was always that jolt of pain when their hips pushed flush against his ass to hard or when they palmed his ass cheek possessively. But any focus on the pain was washed away by the delicious hard slide of them washing away any coherent thought he had in his mind.</p><p>The blood was rushing painfully to his cock and he grabbed himself and made a few tugs before he paused. He managed to turn his head to look back at Bloodhound despite the way that their thrusts made him want to cling and bury his face into the pillow.</p><p>That growl of theirs deepened a touch when they noticed his obedient eyes looking back at them and his still hand around his cock. "Ah, touch yourself all you want<em> gæludýr </em>," they told them. "But I'm not stopping until I come inside you."</p><p>His grip on his cock stilled painfully. He buried his face back into the pillow with a groan. He knew that if he kept touching himself when he was so pent up and they were fucking him so perfectly that he wouldn't last long. He'd wanted to cum so badly all night. He'd planned to drag them back to his room and ride them till they saw stars but they hadn't planned for those calloused hands to start rubbing at him under his pants. If he came now then he knew that they were going to spend their sweet time drawing out every overstimulated sound they could until they came.</p><p>With a remorseful groan, he let his hand on his cock clutch the bedsheet instead while he rubbed his face into the pillow that never could quite catch all those sounds that he made. He was drooling into the sheets of the bed, he had given up on keeping his mouth shut when they were so focused on him like this.</p><p>"Elliott, I-" they groaned as they pulled back on a particularly rewarding drag. "You're so perfect, my beautiful pet."</p><p>"Yes, y-yes, yes, yours, yours," he moaned.</p><p>It's the mantra that was repeated from his mouth for the rest of the night. One of Bloodhound's hands smoothed up to his chest as they leaned down to rest their weight onto his back. Their thrusts were getting more desperate and Elliott moaned thankfully and started stroking quick and tight.</p><p>"Hound I-" He broke off into a rough moan.</p><p>"Don't hold back," they ordered, "I want to see you hear every sound you make when you let go."</p><p>Elliott let out a sob as they pinpointed his prostate and ground roughly against that spot. His hand jerked and he came with them murmuring and growling words in his ears that he barely heard. They fucked him through his orgasm roughly and perfectly and he squirmed and groaned in place at the overstimulation coursing through his body.</p><p>Bloodhound had to fight to keep their eyes from screwing shut at the feeling of Elliott tightening around them all soft and buttery. He collapsed underneath them but Bloodhound on an impulse wrapped their hand around his neck. Not to squeeze, but to keep firmly up so that he couldn't hide any of those cries of overstimulation in his pillow.</p><p>Elliott's hips were stuttering in overstimulation as Bloodhound chased their pleasure, dragging his bruised ass back onto them searching for that edge to fall off of. Suddenly, Elliott shook out of the grasp that they held on his throat and they almost stopped entirely to check on him but he let out a satisfied noise and turned his back as much as he could to eat them up in his gaze.</p><p>He rolled his hips back against them and they picked up their pace again and focused on that beautiful 'o' shape of his mouth. "Please," he begged, "in me, in me-"</p><p>They pulled his ass flush against them when they came hard. Elliott's little noises kept their hips making little thrusts through their orgasm. He felt so perfect, so beautiful, so <em> mine </em>, and they told him that again and again, most of it wasn't even in a language that Elliott understood. They collapsed onto his back but Elliott didn't seem to mind as they both caught their breath.</p><p>Bloodhound didn't even realise that they were still nuzzling and licking at his neck until Elliott let out a little whine beneath them. They laughed breathy and soft against his neck and gave a small few thrusts of their hips just to tease him before they pulled out and rolled beside him. </p><p>Elliott wasn't sure how they managed to move but he was brought out of his exhausted state of mind when he felt a damp cloth in Bloodhound's hand wiping him down and rolling him over just enough to clean around him as well. It wasn't properly done but neither of them cared apart from achieving the bare minimum.</p><p>Normally, they'd be spooning right now. That had been another one of the surprises that Elliott had felt when they first got together. But he was all too happy to cuddle with them and lessen that excruciating sense of being touch starved that sometimes emanated from them. But right now, Elliott could barely move from his spot.</p><p>"Mmm," he hummed with his eyes shutting out the still present bright lights of the room. "Maybe I should rile you up more often. Not straight away. Sort of hard to be the teasing trickster when you can't move."</p><p>Their hand traced along his chest, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to hurt you too much-"</p><p>He made a sound of protest and patted his hand on the bedding. "I'm not hurt," he groaned, "well, I'm not going to be running a marathon tomorrow morning. But it's a nice reminder. Good kind of hurt."</p><p>Bloodhound moved a bit closer and wrapped an arm around his waist, "should I turn off the lights?"</p><p>"Nah, want to look at your pretty face some more."</p><p>"I do not have a pretty face."</p><p>"Sure you do," he promised and lazily lifted a finger to brush along their lips. "Most perfect face I've ever seen."</p><p>They weren't sure what to say to that so they didn't say a thing at all. Instead, they took a hand to cup Elliott's cheek and smiled softly when he melted into the touch. "Hm, can I change my mind about the lights? I'm four blinks away from falling asleep."</p><p>They huffed a laugh and pressed a kiss to his forehead, "whatever you want <em> elskan </em>." Then, they turned off the lights and soaked in the static darkness before tightening their arm around Elliott. "I am so glad to have you in my life," they whispered into the dark.</p><p>Elliott's only response was the lax rhythm of his breath.</p><p>"Are you already asleep?" They whispered softly. When they didn't get a reaction they shrugged into the bed covers and laid their face next to his. "That's alright," they murmured, "I will just have to tell you how grateful I am in the morning."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much for supporting this work!</p><p>This ended up being a little kinkier than I intended but it is what is I guess?</p><p>I definitely have plans to do more Miragehound in the future! They have this amazing dynamic that I can't wait to explore in all kinds of ways. I'm thinking of planning out a soulmate AU at one point because there's not enough of them in the Apex Legends fandom. </p><p>Anyway, if you enjoyed it leave a comment! They keep me fed!</p>
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